Where Demons dare to tread
by Eastbound Traveller
Summary: Dante and Virgil at the end of DMC5 were stuck in hell, fighting demons and each other for the rest of eternity. Or were they? In a series of unexpected events allow them to escape to a little world called Remnant.
1. Chapter 1: New Pieces

Chapter 1: New pieces

"The air tastes... different."

"We finally escape back to the real world, and your first words are a complaint about air quality?" Dante jabbed at his more stoic brother. "We're in a forest and not in hell, of course it smells fresher."

"Like always Dante, you miss the grandest of changes by looking to the most trivial of things," Vergil countered.

"So where should I be looking, my wise older brother?" Dante teased.

"Up."

Following his brother's eye line, Dante stared up into the night sky and saw something biblical. The moon was shattered across the sky like a grand broken jewel trailing into nothingness.

"Okay," Dante admitted. "That's different."

For a few long moments, the two brothers just stared into the light of the shattered moon.

GRRRR

Growling brought the brothers' attention back to the ground. Red glowing eyes surrounded them as obsidian beasts circled them. Leaves rustled, bushes parted to reveal more monstrous forms descending on the brothers.

"Well, at least some things haven't changed," Dante joked, pulling out his pistols.

"Indeed," Vergil replied, breaking the seal of the Yamato with his thumb.

"Bet I can kill more to lengthen my lead over you," Dante cockily stated, headshotting two wolves that decided to start the attack.

"What are you talking about?" Vergil asked, bisecting some kind of bear creature with his sword. "We're even!"

Gauntlet thrown, the brothers swept into opposite sides of the horde, determined to win.

"Jackpot."

* * *

Hunters, almost by definition, are an insane group of people.

They are individuals who strapped high recoil guns to themselves or grabbed pointy metal sticks and then ran at monsters that exist only to kill people. Crazy was almost in the job requirements.

It could be argued that each of the men inside the bullhead flying over the forest were in fact crazy. But the main difference between hunters isn't training or talent but experience. An experienced hunter will either be broken or hardened by the years. At the very least, they grow more used to the ridiculous.

For example, of the six hunters in the bullhead, ready to drop out of the open floor at any moment, you could tell which were freshly graduated. They were the ones that were startled as a man vaulted into the bullhead while it was still in flight.

The man wore a grey dress shirt with black and dark grey accents, along with black shoes and dress pants. Other than that, he wore a tattered red cape, as well as a crooked cross necklace and a few rings on his calloused hands. The gruff-looking man had messy black hair, slight stubble ghosting his jawline, and dull red eyes reflecting his years of tragedy. On his back was some sort of large metallic weapon in its dormant 'sheathed' form.

The freshly graduated group of four huntsman quickly pulled out their weapons while the two veterans just looked at the new arrival as if he hadn't just jumped into a moving aircraft.

"Mr Branwen! I wasn't aware you were joining us for our hunt!" The joyful tone of professor Port sang, ever positive before a mission. He wore his classic red suit outfit, brandishing his axe blunderbuss and a impressive moustache.

"Don't call me mister, Port," Qrow replied, pulling out his flask and taking a gulp. "I'm not as old as you two."

"Did he just jump into our bullhead?" One of the ex-students whispered.

"Yes, indeed he did," professor Oobleck loudly replied. "It is rare for Branwens to use doors. Still though Qrow I must ask why are you here. The Grimm horde, while substantial, wouldn't usually attract your attention."

"Why is this normal?" Another student asked only to be ignored entirely.

"Well," Qrow took one last gulp of his flask before pocketing it. "I was just passing through, so I thought I'd run some recon for you old-timers."

"He was just passing through a Grimm infested Forest?" Increasingly confused ex-students muttered.

"Aha! So what beasts shall face our blades today?" Port exclaimed, spinning his blunder-axe. "Nevermores? Griffons? Deathstalkers? Come, Barty, let's show these fledgelings what their old professors can do!"

"Calm down Port. At the rate they're being wiped out you might not even get to see any big Grimm."

"There's already a group fighting the Grimm?" Oobleck pushed his glasses up his nose. "Did they not require your assistance Qrow? It should have been a substantial horde to fight."

"Oh it WAS substantial alright, but they definitely didn't need my help." Qrow's dull red eyes seemed to sharpen when he next looked at the older hunters. "I don't suppose you're backup for a pair of extremely badass Huntsmen sent ahead as a coordinated team?" The silence spoke for itself. "Well, let's hope they're friendly then."

Moments after those words were spoken the huntsmen dropped. After employing their own landing strategies, the seven broke off into a run.

Along the way to their objective, each dealt with a few Grimm stragglers, but not as much as they should. It was barely enough for a pack, let alone a horde.

That was until they reached the edge of a clearing.

It was not a natural clearing. In fact, it used to be a part of the forest, but the trees had been eviscerated as collateral damage, with black smoke from vanquished Grimm filling the air. At the other end, a man in blue was surrounded, multiple packs all pouncing at him at once.

Oobleck was about to dash in when Qrow grabbed his shoulder, gesturing towards a thin smokey barrier surrounding the man. A moment later there was a slash. Then ten. Then a hundred. Then more and more as the air within the circle of smoke was shredded by perfectly straight slashes.

When it ended, the man in blue was at the centre, sheathing his sword. Around him not one of the Grimm had a piece left large enough to be called a chunk. The defeated packs rose into smoke that would likely be believed to be a forest fire by those in the distance.

Their observations of the man in blue were interrupted by a pained screech. Looking up, they saw a falling nevermore... slam into another larger nevermore… slam into another even larger nevermore.

Skewered together by something, they fell towards the earth. Above them, a man in red fell down as well, shooting his guns into whatever was skewering the birds, forcing them to fall faster.

There was a splintering shockwave as they hit the ground screaming but seemingly alive. That was until the man in red landed on their chests, pulled his ridiculously large sword from their breasts and beheaded them in one smooth motion.

"Three in a row, high score," the man stated, jumping from the smoking corpses.

"Check again, Dante," the man in blue interrupted. "I killed more, you lose."

"You killed more, but mine were bigger and could fly," countered Dante.

"Yet each only count as one. You still lose."

"Whatever," Dante chuckled. "We've got company anyway."

Nodding, the man in blue followed Dante towards their observers. A couple of Grimm tried to make use of the distraction. The man in blue bisected the charging Boretusk mid-air while Dante shot the leaping Creep in the head. Both men killing without even looking at the target.

"Hey there, I'm Dante, this is my twin Vergil, lovely day today isn't it?" The man in red, Dante, balanced his massive sword on his shoulder as he talked to them.

"Ignore Dante. Tell us, why are you here?" Vergil commanded.

Cold pressure flooded the air. Vergil giving off an 'answer or die' aura, unlike his casual brother. A feeling completely ignored by Port.

"Why young man, we are Huntsmen! Wherever monsters lurk, we are not far behind. The stories I could tell you," a cough from Qrow cut off that detour from Port. "Anyway, we were on our way to kill the very horde you seem to have just finished off. A pity, I was hoping to show a few Grimm the business side of my blunderbuss!"

"Wait," Dante requested. "Is the business side the gun or the axe?"

"Why both of course! When it comes to killing monsters, any side of my weapon is ready to cut straight to the business."

"Or shoot straight to it," Dante joked, receiving a chuckle from Port. "May I?"

"Of course young man, but only if I can get a look at that sword of yours!"

Dante dropped his sword, one-handed, into Port's grasp. The older man buckled briefly under the weight before swinging it easily, surprising everyone with his apparent strength. Meanwhile, Dante checked the sights of the blunder-axe before swinging it in a seemingly perfect dance. "Nice."

"If you two are quite done," Vergil glared at his brother to no effect. "What do you want? I doubt you watched our fight for entertainment."

Qrow took over, "we were just wondering who you were. And why two upstanding guys such as yourselves decided to take on a Grimm horde alone."

"You must not have been paying attention, although I rarely listen to Dante myself, so I will repeat. I am Vergil, that is my twin Dante, and the vermin annoyed us, so we exterminated them."

To his credit, Qrow didn't flinch under Vergil's gaze. "Then we'll have to bring you to our boss, Ozpin, back in the kingdom, for you make a report and collect your reward."

Watching the brothers, Qrow saw no recognition in either of their faces. Vergil seemed like someone who could hide it, but Dante seemed more honest. Anyone who serves… her would know about Ozpin. So did a lot of people but he had to start somewhere.

"Cool so where's this Kingdom of yours, and who's this Ozpin guy?" Why did he even bother to read faces when this guy was just going to make his life more comfortable.

"Enough questions Dante," Vergil moved past the Huntsmen without so much as a backwards glance. "Remaining here is pointless, let us go to this, 'Kingdom'."

Despite the condescending tone of the agreement, Qrow just nodded as they made their way towards the bullhead. Content to keep the silence until they knew who these guys were.

Dante was not.

"Ah, brother, why so quick to get out the Forest?" Dante breathed deeply through his nose, "don't you just love that fresh air?"

"Your welcome to stay Dante," Vergil stated, getting comfortable as he glared the students whose spot he'd taken to the other side of the bullhead. "I'll make sure to think of you as I enjoy fine meals and you forage around here eating dirt."

At the back of the bullhead, Qrow couldn't help but sigh; this was going to be a long flight.

* * *

Looking at his scroll, Ozpin's face stayed neutral as he read.

NEW PIECES ON THE BOARD. ON ROUTE TO BEACON.

"Glynda," the strict headmistress looked at him questionably. "Head to the landing pad; Qrow is bringing in some interesting guests."

* * *

"Where. Is. He?" To most people, the award-winning glare of Glynda Goodwitch was enough to crack stone. Annoyingly, Vergil was not most people. In fact, he seemed quite amused at her attempted intimidation.

"Why should I keep track of Dante's location just because can not?" If looks could kill, Vergil would probably have had to of found another way to come back from the dead.

Sighing, Glynda pinched the sides of her nose, wondering how Qrow WASN'T the most annoying person she had to deal with today.

Out of the two men the Huntsman team brought home, Vergil had seemed like the dangerous one. His constant, 'you're beneath me' attitude, the cold air around him screamed it. Not to mention how he completely ignored her to stop and admire Beacon's architecture. Even getting into a few detailed discussions with Oobleck about the building's history, before Glynda loudly cleared her throat to remind the Doctor they had somewhere to be.

It was during one of these distractions that Dante, the seemingly relaxed, fun-loving brother, vanished! How the 4 veteran hunters missed his disappearance, Glynda would never know. Hell, even if Glynda and the other professors let their guard down a bit around Beacon, Qrow was always… well, not alert but aware…

…

Where the hell was Qrow…

"Son of a bitch," the men around her looked startled (or in Vergil's case amused) at the headmistress' language. Alright, if threatening didn't work, try to try a different method. "Vergil," Glynda tried not to act pleased when the man in blue actually gave her his full attention rather than just barely listing like he had done before. "The more time we spend looking for your brother, the more of your time we waste."

A moment of silence stretched between them.

"You make a good point," without another word, Vergil turned and started striding confidently down the halls. Seemingly not caring if the professors were following him or not as he arrived at… the cafeteria?

The few students who stayed over the break stared at the new arrivals, curious about the new hunters and wary of the very angry Goodwitch.

"Your finest blend of tea," Vergil commanded, inwardly smiling as the man behind the counter rushed to fill his order.

As Vergil took his tea from the shaking hands of the concierge, Glynda turned her ire to the person she knew was going to ruin her day. "Qrow." He stopped mid sip of his flask to nod in acknowledgement. "Why did you sneak off with Dante?"

The brother in question gave a wave from his seat, finishing off his first of two boxes of pizza as he did. "What, you didn't notice us leave?" Tucking away his flask, Qrow smirked, "getting sloppy Glynda?"

With a distinct eye twitch, Glynda herded the idiotic men she worked with as well as their guests towards Ozpin's office.

Why was it that children were so much easier to deal with than the insane, idiotic men in her life?

* * *

Ozpin had still been reviewing what little footage Qrow had sent when his guests had finally arrived. Glancing at the clock, the headmaster realised it had taken them quite a while to reach him from the landing pad.

Had the new arrivals caused trouble? People from outside the kingdoms tended to be a bit… rough. Perhaps a fight had broken out, and they had to be dragged here. Maybe one of them needed medical attention after the mission or the fight…

What Ozpin didn't expect was that everyone in the party seemed to be consuming something as they departed the elevator. Except for Glynda, who had the 'I've had to talk to Qrow for five minutes' look, seemingly more tired than she was annoyed.

But still very annoyed.

Qrow and Oobleck were drinking their usual beverages, joined in the activity by Vergil who's cup of tea that never spilt despite how he moved. Meanwhile, Peter devoured a large chicken drumstick next to Dante, who was working his way through a box of pizza.

"You stopped for food?" Despite how experienced Ozpin was in the ridiculousness of hunters (looking at you Qrow), he couldn't help but let surprise leak into his voice.

"Obviously," Vergil answered, settling himself against one of the walls. Port was summarily ignored as he started talking about how all great Hunters need great sustenance.

"You would not believe how long it's been since I had a decent pizza. Dante by the way," the man in red held out his hand which Ozpin gladly shook. The moment their hands parted, Dante had his feat on the table and resumed eating his pizza without a care in the world.

"Vergil," Ozpin turned his head to the other man. Unlike the relaxing aura of his brother, this man felt dangerous. From the footage, Ozpin knew neither brother would be an easy fight, but Vergil made no attempt to hide his apathy towards niceties. His piercing gaze seemed to judge Ozpin's very soul, looking for every strength and weakness all at once.

The two of them reminded him of another set of twins, a meaningful look at Qrow showed him that the similarities weren't lost on him.

"Hello, I am professor Ozpin." It was a good sign that the only hostility from the twins was another muttered 'obviously' from Vergil. "I thank you for coming all this way, but I must admit I'm curious what the two of you were doing wandering around the forest; it's not a place frequented by many. I'm also curious where you learnt this."

Turning a screen so the brothers could see, Ozpin started the replay of their rather impressive fight with the Grimm. Both brothers seemed briefly surprised at the footage. Evidently, Qrow hadn't been noticed, but once their surprise faded, they both watched their playback.

While Dante looked as if watching TV, Vergil seemed to be reviewing it, judging their performance. An act shared by the other huntsmen in the room. Most only witnessed a few actions, the glorious ultra-violence on display was an impressive continuation.

"That was sloppy Dante," Vergil stated as he watched his brother eaten by some kind of giant bird.

"Yea," he admitted as he watched his sword cut the bird open from the inside. "But it was pretty awesome."

Watching the rest of the professors watched and couldn't help but agree. Each brothers feats were impressive, especially knowing the reported size of the horde. They must have been fighting all night yet neither looked particularly scruffed up or even tired.

"We taught ourselves to fight," Vergil stated as the video ended. "And we were in the forest on a whim."

"A whim?"

"You see," Dante interrupted, throwing his now empty pizza box to the side as he leant forward. "Me and my brother-"

"My brother and I," Vergil corrected.

"We brothers," Dante continued not missing a beat. "Are looking for a new home, we've never been out of the wilds before so thought, why not head generally towards a kingdom?"

"You've never been inside the Kingdom's before," Glynda said somewhat disbelievingly. "Not even to attend combat school?"

"Hmm, there is little you could teach me."

"What my brother means," Dante quickly interceded. "Is that we never really went that route. We killed monsters as kids, kept it going as we grew up and never really stopped."

"Don't put words in my mouth Dante," Vergil glared.

"Leave this to the people person brother," Dante ignored the 'I'm stabbing you later' look Vergil threw at him. "So anything else you want to know?"

Ozpin gave each brother a long look. "No. I think we all could use a day to wind down. A life of only fighting is one fatigued, rest must be taken when it can."

"Amen to that," Dante was halfway to the elevator before his brother had even moved. Vergil gave Ozpin a searching look, before matching his brother's gait.

"Glynda, if you could show them to accommodations and any facilities they may desire. Tomorrow, once you're rested, I'd be more than willing to help you with settling into kingdom life."

Once the Glynda and their new guests left, Ozpin turned to the remaining colleagues in the room. "So, what do you think of them?"

"Certainly talented fighters." Port puffed out his chest, "they would even give even myself a run for my money."

"Indeed, from what we've seen, it wouldn't be a stretch to say they would rank in the upper echelons of Beacon graduates. In terms of fighting strength that is," Oobleck continued with a sip of his thermos. "They are also quite well adjusted. Many of those who live outside the kingdoms historically have idiosyncrasies. Several only even come to the academies to learn how to fight higher-skilled enforcement officers."

Qrow looked a bit uncomfortable at that before putting in his own opinions. "Both of them are capable killers, that's for sure," Qrow paused to swig his own drink. A beverage that no professor actually knew the contents of, only that it was a mix of several cheap spirits. Despite being a capable hunter, Qrow only kept a fraction of his money for maintenance, lodgings, and alcohol. The rest went to the family he still cared about, helping any way he could, even if he couldn't stay long. "But they're complete unknowns. No known loyalties or motivations, we need to handle them carefully."

Nodding, Ozpin considered his options as the professors continued to list what they thought.

Whatever was decided, there were new pieces on the board now, and Ozpin hoped they would pick the right side.

* * *

"Here we are," Glynda said, suppressing a scowl as Vergil strode past her without so much as a glance back.

While his brother had elected to 'chill' in their assigned room, Vergil had surprised her; asking to be taken to the library. Perhaps Vergil wouldn't be as infuriating as she thought. After all, Glynda was described as… prickly; before you got to know her.

Maybe Vergil was the same.

Meanwhile, Vergil quietly smiled at Glynda's bemused expression as he asked to be guided not to local information, or history sections, but poetry.

A small part of him admitted that annoying her was growing to be an enjoyable pastime. One he seemingly didn't have to try at.

Still, looking at his selection of books, it took him nearly the entire evening to decode the scribbles. Keywords and features helped, as well as patterns, words, and shared symbols between worlds.

Settling into his book, Vergil decided to enjoy the rest of the evening. Tomorrow he could start seeing what power lurked in this world. A meaningful look with Dante earlier showed him that his brother's devil trigger wasn't working either.

What in this world was suppressing their powers? What did this world have to offer in return? How long would he and Dante spend in this world before they or Nero found a way for them to return?

Smiling, Vergil thought of one last question.

How much of a challenge could he and Dante find?


	2. Chapter 2: World of Black and White

**AUTHOR NOTE**

**Wow, thank you for all the support for this story. It's genuinely amazing. Before I lose you all for what I've done this chapter, I'd like to address a couple of points/comments/questions.**

**First, the elephant in the room, the big problem... I spelt Vergil as Virgil last chapter. I...I... I can't even comprehend how this slipped past me. I spend so long on the Wiki, making sure I get certain things right, and I mess up the name? Wow. I've gone back and changed it but seriously... wow.**

**RED DUSK 369: I too believe it's dumb when the new universe inserts explain everything to Ozpin for no discernible reason. Even Dante would be a bit cautious in a new dimension and Vergil is more likely to become a pacifist. While the brothers will be spending some time at Beacon, interacting with the teams, they are both still proactive with their own goals, not to mention valuable pieces for Ozpin (even if he doesn't know/trust them entirely).**

**Otakufreak225: Thank you, rest assured neither brother would outright lose to Qrow. Not to say that Qrow wouldn't be able to do some damage though. He is a top tier fighter in rwby and with a dangerous semblance. There's a line in this chapter where Vergil eludes to his strength compared to the top tier he's seen so far. Although, without their devil triggers, Dante and Vergil won't be 1 shotting everyone... just most people. Also, when I say blue for Vergil's coat, I mean the blue accents/patterns that look amazing.**

**StGian21: Thank you, for some reason I imagine Vergil enjoying being a little sh*t to Glynda. I think it's their personalities.**

**OneYuTriSlayers: ...Mostly working together. Some habits are just hard to break.**

**theunknownjoe: Thank you. When they both backhanded Nero, this new brotherly bond just felt right to me.**

**Uknownguy78: "Hey, let me tell you my backstory, with every terrible thing I've ever done included so you can manipulate me dumbledor style through this entire story!" Yeah, no. Vergil and Dante are no ones b*tch. Not to say they won't help, but they'll do it their way, and it will be their decision who to trust.**

**N3R0-4NG3L0: Since it's not a spoiler, yes Dant has his devil arm. Which are (to my knowledge): His big f**k off sword, gauntlets/greaves, the fantastic hat, and his pistols. Meanwhile, Vergil has Yamato, his gauntlets/greaves, and his summoned swords. Basically their DMC5 arsenals.**

**Kabuto S. Inferno: Thank you. I'm trying to keep interactions as in character as possible. Let me know if you think I slip up :).**

**Reddevil47: I have not reverted their ages. With Nero being around his early 20's at a guess, I personally estimate them to be in their mid to late 40s. While not that young anymore, I'd say being Physically active and half-demons (which may or may not mean they age slower), their age shouldn't be a problem. Effectively, minus some interworld tomfoolery with their devil triggers, they are both relatively in their prime.**

**FerunaLutelou: There are plenty of reasons why powers we have no way of quantifying by human means don't work when they cross the boundaries of space of time through unknown means into a world with different elements and laws of physics than our own from a hell portal. Or maybe I'm just being illogical.**

**Drake Serr: I don't mention their age specifically in this chapter, but as I stated above, late '40s to early '50s seems like a decent guess (depending on how long you think they spent in hell). A few characters I think describe them as middle-aged men. There has been no de ageing, but possibly half-demon slow ageing. Either way, I want to stress that their age does in NO WAY make them any less of gods in combat.**

**Now, I know I'm going to get some complaints about decisions in this chapter. I welcome comments and will be more than willing to answer questions.**

* * *

Chapter 2: World Black and White

"I'm just going to get some air," Weiss strived to keep the pleading from her voice as she tried to pull her arm from her father's vice-like grip. A laughably fake smile and a mildly sexist joke later Jacques released her.

Rather than reply in kind, Weiss kept quiet like she was trained to, slinking away without a word. She hated these parties. They were self-pleasing, egotistical, boasting events where she was paraded around like a prize peacock. Worst part? Weiss' lovely father had at least three more planned before she could leave for Beacon.

The opportunistic git was punishing her for sure. Every event Jacques would talk about cross-kingdom cooperation. About how Vale was lucky to have a Schnee visiting, how Weiss could have gone anywhere and Weiss volunteered to go.

That last one was often accompanied by a half-hidden glare in her general direction. Jacques Schnee was not pleased. In fact, the only reason he was likely allowing Weiss to go was that the public 'somehow' found about her plans to go.

But just because Jacques couldn't keep her here without losing face, it didn't mean he wasn't going to drag Weiss to every Gala he could before she left.

At least there was no chance of Weiss joining the Atlas military after graduation. Despite being... friends, Weiss was pretty sure Jacques hadn't forgiven general Ironwood for 'taking' Winter.

"Miss Schnee," speak of the devil.

"General Ironwood," Weiss turned and gave a respectful nod which the General returned. "It's a pleasure to see you."

"You as well," James stated, standing at ease. "I caught your concert earlier, you have a rather beautiful voice. It's a pity we're losing you to Beacon."

"Yes, well I just felt it might help… broaden my horizons to get out of Atlas for a while." Weiss hoped her polite smile would ward off any implied insult.

"You needn't worry," James waved off quickly, reading the heiress like an open book. "I know from Winter how… difficult it can be here." His glance towards Jacques didn't go unnoticed by Weiss. "Ozpin will be lucky to have you if your half the fighter your sister was when she joined Atlas academy."

"I will endeavour to prove myself worthy of her legacy," Weiss replied with a more genuine smile.

"On the note of Beacon, there's someone I want to introduce you to," Weiss' eyes sparked at the Generals words. "He's…"

"General?" Weiss wanted to know who this person was. Needed to know really. Atlas was more stifling by the day, and she could use any glimpse of the outside to help keep her going.

Following the General's eye line, Weiss saw him looking at her father. Wait… no. He was looking at where her father was making his way towards. Mingling and chatting with guests, Jacques was moving towards a man Weiss had only glimpsed earlier.

He was tall, middle-aged, with an air of elegance in every action he took. Leaning against the wall, the man was currently reading a leatherbound book, not noticing or caring about her father's approach.

"Excuse me miss Schnee," there was urgency in his voice, as well as a hint of… panic? Enough for Weiss' curiosity to be peaked as she followed the General at a respectable distance, as he marched across the Gala as fast as civilised society allowed.

"Jacques!" Weiss could see the General's shoulders relax just a bit at catching her father metres away from the other man.

"James," Jacques's eyes narrowed briefly at Weiss before returning his gaze to Ironwood. "Not trying to steal another one of my daughters, are you?" It was phrased as a joke, but Weiss tensed; hearing the underlining resentment in the statement.

"No," Ironwood chuckled, knowing Jacques still blamed him for leading his eldest 'astray'. "I was just congratulating her on getting into Beacon, and saying how extravagant this Gala is. You've really outdone yourself."

"But of course," Jacques preened as his ego was stroked. Not even noticing as Ironwood subtly started to lead him away from the other man. "And Weiss could have gotten into any of the academies. She is a Schnee after all."

"I'm sure Ozpin can keep here challenged," Ironwood replied. "He can be a fair but harsh taskmaster."

"My daughter will excel I assure you," Jacques stated, leaving no room for argument. "If not I'll have to contact Ozpin myself. Just because he's getting the opportunity to order around one Schnee doesn't mean he should forget where the power in our relationship lies. After all without the dust my-"

"Pathetic."

Weiss could see Ironwood's whole body stiffen as the cold voice echoed through the air.

"What did you say?" Jacques asked, dumbfounded at the stranger's gall.

"I said, pathetic," the white-haired stranger in a black and blue coat stated again as he closed his book. "As in, it's pathetic you believe money and dust give you true power." Apathetic blue eyes locked onto her father now, who was either too prideful or stubborn to acknowledge the fear they instilled.

"Vergil-", Ironwood was quickly cut off.

"No real power you say," condescendingly Jacques chuckled at the stupidity of the man in front of him. "Do you think you could still say that if I turn all resources to ruin you. Dragging your name through the mud, making sure you can never buy a speck of dust again," Jacques smiled knowing he had won.

"Do you think you could do that after I remove your head from your shoulders?" The air froze. Her father's smile disappeared as he became increasingly aware of the sheathed sword in Vergil's hand.

"Vergil-", Ironwood tried again only to once again be ignored.

"Tell me," Vergil started as he walked towards Jacques. Every graceful step echoed in their souls as Vergil's cold enraptured them. "Will your company block my blade? Will your lien hold me back? Will your dust lay me low before I kill you here? Insect, do you believe that there is a single man you own capable of stopping me?"

Vergil was barely a foot away from him now. Rooted in place, Weiss would later note that this was the first time he had ever seen her father sweat.

"VERGIL," Ironwood finally interjected, placing himself between the two men. "I won't be able to hold up my end of the bargain if you attack the Schnee's. You don't want to be… inconvenienced because of this, do you?"

Unlike with her father, where Vergil looked at Jacques as apathetically as one would a bug before squashing it, Vergil's eyes showed something else for Ironwood. Respect maybe? Weiss hadn't known him long enough to tell.

"Indeed," Vergil stated after a long second, before walking towards the exit. "Just make sure to honour our accord."

Breathing out, Ironwood watched Jacques grumble about foreigners before slinking away. Once he was out of earshot, the General turned to Weiss.

Not that Weiss noticed; she was still processing what had just happened. That hunter had stood up to his father. And rather than having to back down because of money or threats, the General had to reason him down.

Because it would inconvenience him… Not because Vergil couldn't do it. Not because General Ironwood could stop him. But because it would have been a bother.

The way he moved, there wasn't a single wasted action, and the way Vergil spoke! It was like every word was fact. Unapologetically true, he was… he was…

Everything Weiss wanted to be as a Huntsmen. Sure he was a tad aggressive, but nobody is perfect, not even her! Vergil could stand up to her father, and win, unflinchingly. Weiss wanted to win her family's honour back, she could imagine doing it with the elegance and strength Vergil seemed to exude.

"Sorry about that," Ironwood said, catching Weiss' attention. "I should have known this would happen when I invited him."

"Who is he?" Weiss half-whispered out.

"His name is Vergil, and he was actually the man I wanted you to meet." At Weiss' questioning gaze, he continued. "Winter mentioned you didn't know anyone in Vale, and since he was on a hunt nearby, I thought I'd invite Vergil so you could meet him."

Ironwood internally chuckled at the memory of Winter pacing when she thought he wasn't watching. It was almost adorable to watch Winter worry about her sister then try to hide it for the sake of professionalism. But he was a tin man with a heart, more than happy to help one of his most capable subordinates.

"Both Vergil and his brother have been teachers at Beacon Academy for the past two years." Weiss reviewed Vergil's actions in a whole new light as Ironwood continued. "Despite their… difficult, personalities, if you learn from them, I'm sure you'll be a fine hunter."

"Thank you, General." Weiss, like her father, preened under the praise.

"That said, would you mind guiding Vergil to the exit." Ironwood watched as the man in blue left through the ballroom doors. "I'd hate for the guards to think he's an intruder," left unsaid was the fate of any guard who attacked him.

"Of Course," rushing off, Weiss quickly caught up with her quarry.

* * *

Worms. All of them.

Outside the general, Vergil had yet to see a single person of worth at this pathetic gathering. Then to be threatened like a weakling? If it weren't more frustrating to walk back to Vale then perhaps the Schnee dust company would be getting a new CEO after tonight.

"Excuse me," closing his eyes, Vergil resisted the urge to just keep walking. Vergil had heard the clicking heels behind him, hoping it was someone with another purpose, so he could just ignore them.

"Yes," Vergil said, turning to see the young heiress from earlier. Ice cold blue eyes stared through Weiss' very soul, looking at her for the first time. Judging from the concealed shiver, Weiss felt it. Finally, Vergil's eyes settled on the scar over her eye, maybe there was another person worth his time; scars meant combat. While it wasn't deep enough for her to lose her sight, it still indicated she fought something of similar strength, it showed the heiress had pushed her limits.

"Good evening," Weiss curtsied, Vergil politely nodding his head in return. Weiss quelled her nerves and spoke as an heiress should. "I am Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee dust company, I would like to apologise for my father's attitude towards you."

"You needn't worry," Vergil replied. "I do not concern myself with the words of jesters and fools."

"Yes… well, may I walk you to the exit?" Weiss asked. "I would hate for the guards to harass a guest."

After a confirming nod from Vergil, Weiss fell into step beside him, matching Vergil's steady gait. Silence stretched on as the two made their way through the halls.

"Is it true you are a teacher at Beacon Academy?" Weiss asked, unconsciously wringing her hands, at his verification she continued. "I am actually to attend Beacon this year. I just wanted to say that I am looking forward to being under such esteemed tutelage."

"The educators at Beacon are all capable," Vergil replied in a conversational (for him) tone. "Many of them teach as they believe passing on the lessons they've learnt will better prepare you for the world and all its 'horrors'. Protecting the world more by proxy. But each is still, primarily, a warrior. None have them have forgotten what matters."

"I am pleased to hear that," Weiss felt like Vergil's approval was probably a high bar. "Wait, many of the other professors, but not you?"

Vergil grinned, pleased that Weiss had caught that. "Yes, I have other reasons. Ozpin offers me resources for certain… private research I'm conducting." While Vergil saw no reason to hide what was public knowledge amongst both students and staff, though there was no reason to share more. Secrets held power after all. "My brother attends more for the joy of teaching. Also, I suspect, to keep an eye on me. Not to mention, Ozpin offers us more challenging contracts normally held for teams of weaklings to let us keep our skills sharp."

"Is that what you were doing in Atlas, Professor Vergil?"

"Yes," Vergil replied with a satisfied smirk. "I was offered a contract in Sterben Valley."

"STERBEN VALLEY!" Weiss blushed, more in embarrassment than fear, as Vergil glared at her. But really she couldn't be blamed for her screech. Could she? Weiss' father had been trying to set up a dust mine there for years. It was an area some way north of Atlas which had been untouched for generations; most people just went around it.

...Because it was basically an endless pit of Grimm.

As the grim rarely overflowed to the surface, the Atlas military deemed it too resource-intensive to clear, especially with other less dangerous areas to mine. The main reason Weiss' father even wanted to mine there was that her grandfather deemed it impossible. He campaigned to have it cleared, hiring groups of graduated huntsmen to clear it. Huntsmen that never came back triumphant, if they came back at all.

Sterben Valley wasn't difficult to fight at first. Experienced huntsman would clear away waves of weak Grimm with ease as they ventured deeper. Waves that came more frequently until finally, they reached a point of a constant flood of black and white falling upon them. When the Huntsmen tired, trying to retreat, they would find out they were trapped. The tide wasn't against them, but around them entirely; Grimm lining the path to their entrance and bearing down on them.

Emerging from hidden caves, tunnelling beneath and behind them, the Grimm surrounded them, never stopping the assault. Oldest amongst the pit had dwelt in its depths long enough to kill even veterans, primarily exhausted ones. Despite their purpose to destroy humanity, the elder Grimm stayed; they knew humans would always come for the dust.

And they would always be devoured by Sterben Valley.

"W-what was your mission there?" Weiss asked. After all, the only people who came back alive were those who turned back early, Vergil must have had a scouting mission.

"Pest control," Vergil didn't even stop walking. "I was to exterminate every Grimm I found."

"WHAT!?" Weiss screeched. "Who would send a team of Huntsmen there! It's literally a DEATH TRAP!"

"I went alone," Vergil internally chuckled at Weiss gobsmacked expression; it reminded him somewhat of Glynda. "I was all that was needed."

Smiling, Vergil thought back to the fight. It took three days to clear the entire valley…

* * *

Like for others, it was too easy at first, frankly boring. Then the Grimm sprung their trap: tunnels opened behind him, black filled the skies, Elder Grimm emerged in their titanic armoured glory. It was hell.

Vergil felt right at home.

Hundreds were cut down as they piled onto him, thick black smoke filling the area like a house on fire as not one scratch touched him. In under a second dozens at a time exploded into unrecognisable chunks of black flesh in a flurry of sword strikes.

One of the three eldest Grimm, giant centipede-like creatures tried to crush him. Dashing back, Vergil entered one of the tunnels that had opened. Where most huntsmen would then be pulverised between the dozens of ambushing Grimm in the shaft and the elder bearing down on them, Vergil was a tornado of death. Emerging on the other side of the tunnel mere moments later, untouched, already slicing down more.

Then the elder Grimm came through, slamming into Vergil. The two other elders moving forward with the firsts head ready to slam the human with their comrade… only to realise in the closest thing Grimm had to horror that the human wasn't there. And that their battle brother of untold centuries was already dead.

It wasn't muscles or determination moving the Grimm, merely momentum. Crashing into the valley wall, the bisected centipede Grimm finally separated, leaving two halves of smoking dead Grimm. Turning to where Vergil was still standing, unmoved, the two elder's felt something they hadn't in untold years.

They felt what it was like to be prey.

A feeling that only intensified as the Grimm pouncing behind Vergil were impaled by summoned swords. Swords he then span, creating a blender for the stream of vultures that descended from the black sky to devour him.

For hours into days, the two sides played a game of cat and vortex of death. The Elder Grimm were confident that, with thousands of Grimm and a terrain advantage, they could kill one human. No team of hunters had ever survived staying in Sterben. A single combatant had no chance.

What they didn't know was that Vergil wasn't like most huntsmen.

While there were Huntsmen semblances strong enough to trade blows with Dante on his best day, or fast enough to race with Vergil on his, none had what made the sons Sparda truly dangerous. Stamina. Especially stamina recovery.

Sure, if you could fight one of them into the ground in a constant battle, you can claim victory. 'IF'. It is, after all, how Dante and Vergil beat each other. But while Aura let you recover from wounds, it was often rather spent after a fight. Huntsmen couldn't pull themselves off their own sword like Dante, then walk around like nothing happened. Similarly: give Vergil seconds and minor damage were gone, a minute he was practically untouched, ten? It was like he was never in a fight at all.

Of course, the weakness of this recovery was exertion. If Vergil or Dante were fighting, then generally they weren't healing, so most human opponents had to be defeated first. But Grimm? In the smoke of their countless deaths and their own twisting tunnels, Vergil was able to keep himself from exhaustion.

Despite his moments of recovery, the Grimm's near-constant attacks had been wearing on him. A rare ache in his bones reminded him of how long the fight had gone on for. At one point, a frog-like rhino was going to get past his sword only to meet his gauntlet.

Sheathing Yamato, Vergil used Beowulf (a set of black wolf-like gauntlets and greaves) to tear through his opponents. Precision punches smashed through bone plate while he masterfully blocked and parried any blows he didn't decide to outright dodge.

With the man resorting to his fists, the Grimm thought Vergil was on his last legs. Emerging from the ground, one of the elder Grimm created a new tunnel with black predators flooding towards Vergil to finish him.

The elder Grimm would have seen them all explode into pieces the moment Vergil touched his sword with a victorious smirk. Would have… if it wasn't for that same sword lodged in its eyes. As the centipede reeled back in pain, a quick crescent swing from Vergil had its head flying from its body. Slicing down as he dropped, Vergil bisected the elder Grimm.

Channelling his strength into his gauntlets, Vergil grabbed one half, hurling it like a meteorite into the startled Grimm overhead before swinging the other half violently. Countless Grimm were crushed with every swipe until Vergil tossed the carcass into the far end of the valley, causing a rockslide that pulverised countless more.

Seeing the second of his ancient brethren fall had the last elder finally realise something.

Digging into the ground, it moved frantically to escape... Then the pain started. Even as it tried desperately to bore further, it felt Vergil eviscerate inch after inch of its tunnelling body, until finally reaching its head. Leaving no piece large enough to be called a body part in his wake, Vergil's feet hit the end of the in-progress tunnel before launching himself back up. Every Grimm that followed him in was killed before Vergil emerged as a valkyrie of carnage and slaughter.

All the remaining Grimm at that moment shared in their elder's realisation. That what stood before them wasn't some human prey, but a demon sent to devour them. The remaining Grimm barely lasted a day. Those who did not flee were cut down mercilessly as Vergil sought his real reward. A reward he found deep within the valley, left there by humans and untouched for generations.

Leaving, he found Ironwood with a military blockade. Evidently killing the stragglers.

"Sir," a scout running in from behind Vergil saluted his General. It wasn't surprising soldiers had ventured into the valley after Vergil left and arrived here as he did. Frankly, it had been a good few days, so Vergil decided to walk casually back through this blizzard. "Preliminary scouts confirm little to no Grimm presence in the Valley."

Ironwood didn't know whether to be surprised as he turned to address Vergil. Part of him thought the man had simply decided to take a break; no one would blame him after fighting for 3 days straight. Hell, no one would begrudge him for not finishing this job. Although, Ironwood could see why Ozpin gave it to one of the 'ridiculous' brothers that turned up some years ago. But Ironwood did expect both of them to show up for something this big.

"Commendable work Vergil," through the blizzard Ironwood couldn't hear Vergil's proud hmmm. Not that he needed to. It was exactly what that man would say. "The contracted reward will be delivered to Vale… and I can offer you a bonus reward if you agree to a little bargain."

…

"I'm listening."

* * *

"So," Weiss said after gathering back some of her societal grace. While it was... well impressive was an understatement that one Huntsman cleared Sterben Valley, he was a Beacon teacher. Perhaps such a high standard was simply to be expected of the best. "Was clearing Sterben Valley your part of the bargain the General mentioned?"

"No," Vergil replied. "The valley was simply a contract that has been completed. Ironwood has simply offered me transport back to Vale in return for attending this… gathering." There was a particular disdain in the last word. "I was going to walk back, but the offer of an airship to a catered train back to Vale seemed more appealing."

"You were going to walk?" Weiss asked incredulously. "Isn't travel between the kingdoms like that dangerous?"

"I walked to Atlas."

As Weiss processed that nugget of insanity, the two finally arrived at the front gates. Vergil moved to leave once they opened. When he did, a question burned in Weiss' mind.

"Before you go!" Vergil turned slightly to show his attention but still stood with his back towards Weiss as she continued. "What's the most important aspect of being a Huntress? I'm trying to be like my sister… like my grandfather. A man who thought for the family and carved out our good name with sword and valour. I want to regain that. What do I do? What should I focus on?"

Silence reigned, stretching on before Vergil turned to fully face Weiss. "Power."

"Power?" Weiss blinked. "Aren't you going to tell me it's saving people? Or inspiring them? Or kindness, something like that?" Those were the answers her mind had come up with. Things her father would never do or have.

"Foolishness," Weiss almost objected but Vergil's gaze stopped her. His blue eyes seemed to glow with cold burning wisdom with the full shattered moon light behind him. "Might controls everything, and without strength, you cannot protect anything. Let alone yourself."

The words resonated within Weiss almost as much as within Vergil. He remembered when he said those same words to Dante. Back when he thought his brother weak.

Dante was still a fool. But Vergil had come to accept that his brother was right about some things. A small number of subjects but he was correct all the same.

The defeat of Urizen had shown him that there was strength in his human half. With it, Vergil had beaten his brother many times when he was sure Urizen would not. The death of his nightmares had shown him some... errors, in his previous convictions. The battle atop the world tree with Dante showed him his heart.

Although none of this would have reverberated within him if it wasn't for Nero.

His son.

Still part demon, but more Human that he or Dante, and strong despite it. Or because of it? Nero was proof of this unsettlingly complicated revelation. Not to mention the final catalyst to his… reconciliation with Dante.

It was good to have a real brother again.

He was proud to have a powerful son. Although he didn't miss Nero. Missing him would mean that Vergil thought there was a chance of never seeing him again, which was ridiculous. Nero was his son. If Vergil or Dante couldn't find a way back, Nero would find a way to drag them back. There was never any doubt.

When they did meet again. Nero would have to fight him with everything he learnt, as Vergil struck with every strength he could take from this world. After all, power must be cultivated at every opportunity. And with what he found in the valley, another piece of the puzzle finally fell into place.

"I look forward to seeing you at Beacon, Miss Schnee."

"You too," Weiss automatically replied as she was startled out of her thoughts. "Professor Vergil," she finished with a curtsy as Vergil walked off into the moon's light. Engraving the frame of a true huntsman in her mind before returning reluctantly to the party.

* * *

"COULD VERGIL PLEASE REPORT TO THE STEWARD'S CABIN IMMEDIATELY."

Ignoring the intercom, Vergil flipped to the next page of his poetry book, sipping his tea as he did so. Tea that didn't even spill as another un-ordinary tremor shook through his train compartment.

"COULD VERGIL PLEASE REPORT TO THE STEWARD'S CABIN IMMEDIATELY. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT"

Another explosion, another quake, another sip.

"VERGIL PLEASE REPORT TO THE STEWARD'S CABIN; IT IS IMPERATIVE."

"Urgency lives, within its inception, if time for a demand is made, then it is a deception." Vergil read aloud, rather fitting. Flitting to the next page, Vergil didn't react as his cabin door slammed open.

"Excuse me!" The steward frantically said, scroll in hand. "Are you Vergil?"

"Go away worm," Vergil commanded with a glare over his book. The glare shook the civilian to the bones. Still, another explosion shaking through the train gave him the courage to continue.

"S-si-sir, we need-"

"Now," Vergil interrupted.

And like that, courage left the steward's shaking form, practically curling into himself next to the wall. "Sir he's…" the steward muttered into his scroll, Vergil only picking up pieces of it. "I can't… sir is there no… White Fang… he won't…"

With shaking hands, the steward offered his scroll to Vergil who just looked unimpressed in return. On a particularly bad shake, the scroll slipped from his hands, the steward immediately scuttling back as Vergil effortlessly caught it out of the air.

Closing his eyes, Vergil took a moment to breathe before answering, "what?"

"Vergil," General Ironwood's voice came through the scroll with clear authority that Vergil could easily ignore. "The train you're on is currently under attack."

"And?"

"We believe it's the White Fang attempting to steal the dust on the latter half of the train," Ironwood informed.

"And?"

"I would like you to assist in their subjugation," Ironwood kept going as if he was briefing a specialist. "While the dust is important, focus on securing the safety of the passengers so we ca-"

"No," Vergil then hung up the scroll and threw it back to the steward.

Moments later the scroll was once again, shakily handed to him. "What?"

"Vergil," Ironwood. "There are many passengers on the train. If the White Fang detonates even a portion of the dust being transported, the train could derail. The loss of human life would be-"

"Not interested," Vergil hung up again, returning to reading his book.

Out of the corner of his eye, Vergil saw the steward once again try to hand him the scroll. The poor man shook like a leaf and looked rather wilted by this point. "What?"

"If the train derails I will have to have you detained when you reach Vale." Ironwood took Vergil's silence and probably contempt as a sign he was actually listening now. "Cross kingdom cooperation would allow me to do it as your testimony would be in Atlas' interests. SO when you WALK from the derailed train to Vale, I can have you interviewed, detained, and generally annoyed for up to forty-eight hours."

Counting down slowly from three, Vergil placed the scroll down, leaving the compartment he made his way slowly down the train.

"I'll take your silence as confirmation you'll help," Ironwood continued over the scroll. "There are a few things you should know. Atlas military has several…" And on he went, talking to an empty room until two minutes later the steward recovered enough to retrieve his scroll. Informing the general Vergil had left minutes ago, the steward was surprised when the General suddenly hung up, muttering a curse.

* * *

"Goodbye, Adam," Blake cut the couplers between the train cars. Despite everything, part of her still hated herself for the expression of betrayal on Adam's face as he drifted away.

"That was smart," a smooth voice cut through the air.

Jumping in surprise, Blake pulled out her weapons, dropping back to put distance between herself and this new man. Who was he? How did he get so close to stand next to Blake without her noticing?

"Good instincts," the man in black and blue complemented, admiring Blake's fight or flight reflexes. "If you had not cut the car loose, you can your former friend would be dead."

It wasn't a threat. Merely a statement of fact, like the man was talking about it being rainy yesterday or that the sun will rise tomorrow. Part of Blake… no, every part of Blake believed him. Something about this man screamed danger. "W-who are you?"

"Vergil," his blue eyes ripped through Blake's soul as if no secret was hidden from them. "What is your name?"

"B-Blake," she thought about lying, or running, but with Vergil an arm's length away it didn't seem possible. Blake was frozen in place.

"Come with me Blake," it felt like an order, a command she had to obey. Following Vergil through the train, they arrived at what Blake presumed was his compartment.

"M-Mr Vergil," the steward stuttered out. "D-did you deal with the White Fang?"

"This young lady had already fought them off," Vergil gestured to Blake, her eyes widening in surprise. When the steward's own eyes scanned her, Blake was happy she'd taken to wearing her bow near constantly, concealing her Faunus heritage. "She then severed the back carts to save all your worthless little lives from a catastrophic explosion."

"Mr Schnee won't like the lost dust shipment…" the steward muttered before feeling Vergil's glare on him. Swallowing audibly, every muscle in his body stiffened and stilled. It was like a mouse trying to make itself seem as worthless as possible to a lion.

"I do not care," Vergil's voice carried with the finality of the headsman's axe. "Inform General Ironwood the situation has been handled. And know, if I'm disturbed again I will derail the train myself and walk to Vale."

Watching the steward scuttle off, Blake almost felt sorry for him, if not for the fact that she would still be sitting with Vergil. No time to feel sorry for Schnee employees while she was still very much in danger.

Sitting across from him inside the compartment, Blake made sure her weapons were easy to access; for whatever good they could do. "Why didn't you tell that man I was a member of the White Fang?" Keep him talking, Blake thought, it meant he wasn't attacking.

"I don't care for politics," Vergil replied. Leaning back, he smirked. Everything about this woman screamed 'ready to pounce'. Showing him he was right to be interested in Blake, she was a fighter. Young, nowhere near his level (few were), but one with potential. While not looking for an apprentice, Vergil was a teacher, so one less talentless student was less of a waste of time

"That's… it?" Blake frowned' there had to be more to it. Blackmail? Was Vergil going to force her to do things? Or was ninja's with love just dirtying her thoughts?

"Yes. I am interested in two other things though, first being your fighting prowess." Vergil thought back to Blake dodging and slicing the Atlassian knight bearing down on her. Despite it towering over her, Blake handled it calmly, each strike ferocious but measured. "Few could handle that knight while taking as few hits as you did."

"How long were you watching?" Blake demanded. The stress of the situation was getting her. She didn't think Vergil was lying. So a man who could easily have killed her and Adam watched them fight and LET them live. That in addition to not even caring she was part of a PUBLICLY DENOUNCED TERRORIST ORGANISATION. This just set off more confusing alarm bells Blake didn't know the meaning of.

"Since you and your former friend were thrown onto the open cart."

FROM THE BEGINNING! "Why didn't you intervene?"

"I only cared if you derailed the train," Vergil explained. "It would have inconvenienced me."

So international terrorism was like traffic to this man? Who the hell was he?

"I am curious though," Vergil started, immediately gaining Blake's full attention, her inner questions tabled for now. "Why did you betray your kind? My ancestors once forsook his own, I am curious about your reason." Vergil knew of Sparda's own, at least in part, what were this girls?

"They weren't my kind," Blake stated with a frown. For the first time since their chat, Blake's hand left her weapon. "They don't represent us, not anymore; they betrayed that trust. Now the White Fang has been turned into violent extremists!"

"And you disagree with this, violence?"

"The White Fang used to fight for Faunus equality!" Blake stood, practically shouting her point down at Vergil. "Faunus who were pushed down or abused, picked up the cause. Empowered themselves to show racists and slavers we weren't lesser than them! That's who we thought tooth and nail against. Now? The White Fang are seen as terrorists because they attack innocent people, killing them without a thought!"

"It is the privilege of the strong to crush the weak," Vergil countered. "If these innocents didn't want to be crushed, they should have taken power like yours did and fought back."

"It's not right!" Blake's eyes filled with a passionate fire as she looked down into Vergil's cold blue pools. "It's the duty of the strong to protect the weak!"

"The only right thing in the world is power," Vergil contradicted. "Without it, you can change nothing, protect nothing. Not yourself, the Faunus, or the innocent."

"Then I'll gain strength!" There is was. Conviction. Blake was nervous when she came in, emotional in her speech, but this was what Vergil was looking for. The conviction to gain power for her own ends.

"How?" Vergil asked.

"I'm going to become a huntress," Blake still spoke with conviction, not yet wavering into uncertainty. "I can't run forever. When I face my demons, I'll be ready. Huntress' are heroes throughout the world! They are the strongest warriors of all time, they are symbols of humanity's peak. As a huntress, the Faunus could see my dedication to protecting people. They could follow my example, I could root out the corruption of the White Fang and return it back to what it's meant to be!"

Breathing heavily, Blake finally realised she had been shouting down at Vergil. Adrenaline overrode her survival instinct; Blake stood there resolutely before his gaze.

"Good," Vergil smirked, sending shivers down Blake's spine. This girl had what he wanted in a student: purpose, power-lust, and motivation. "I'll contact Ozpin when we get to Vale to enrol you. You will likely need to have a short chat with him, but that will be all. I expect you to be ready for when term starts in a few weeks." With that, Vergil opened his book, finally returning to reading.

"Wait. What?" Usually, Vergil would sigh, but he was in a good mood, and Blake's confusion was fairly amusing. What was it with this dimension's women being so entertaining to confuse (GLYNDA).

"I am a teacher at Beacon Academy," Vergil briefly explained. "I will talk to Ozpin, the headmaster, who will enrol you. You will then attend the school for huntresses."

Silence reigned for longer this time. Blake really thinking on his words before speaking out again, "what will you tell Ozpin." Blake's nails dug into the seat as she awaited the answer."

"I will tell him you are to attend Beacon as a huntress in training," Vergil turned the page. "What you tell him will be your prerogative."

This can't be right. Blake's luck wasn't this good. No way an extremely dangerous Beacon teacher HAPPENED to be on a dust train from Atlas, didn't kill her for being a member of the White Fang. Then offered her a place at the school she was going to work her ass off to find a way into.

But, as the minutes ticked by, the idea sank in.

She was going to Beacon. Oh god, she was going to Beacon.

Was Blake ready? Could she do it? What if she was discovered? What would she do? Were all Beacon teachers like Vergil?

Looking past the instinctual reaction of fear, Blake really looked at Vergil. He looked strong but cultured. His Black and blue attire gave a dangerous yet dignified look, while his white hair was bright and slicked back. In his hands was a… poetry book? That was a good one Blake had read before. That relaxed her somewhat, such a cordial hobby to such a threatening presence.

Time marched on, and Blake squashed her desire to run. Questions still plagued her mind, but this was the path she chose.

When refreshments were served, Vergil took another pot of tea, Blake even receiving a cup (adding a fair amount of milk, unlike Vergil). Before the end of the journey, Blake even managed to strike up a conversation on the book. The two discussing different poems, their meanings, implications, etc.

But they had to arrive eventually.

As Vergil strode through security, Blake fidgeted behind him. Swallowing, she steeled nerves, mentally rehearsing what she would tell Ozpin. It was time.

Meanwhile, Vergil just smiled. This year may well be interesting. Two new students and one more discovery in the Valleys of Atlas… What a productive trip.


	3. Chapter 3: Dance of Red and Yellow

**AUTHOR NOTE**

**This is a bit late. Partly because Christmas KILLED me, but mostly because I had trouble getting this chapter to where I liked it. Even now I feel like it's a bit too... jumpy? Let me know what you think. In any case, by the end of this chapter we've entered episode 1 and gone through all trailers bar RED, which i won'y be touching. It's an amazing trailer but I just couldn't fit it in :(.**

**Speaking of timelines, there are certain events in this chapter which probably didn't happen on the same day. I know this, but equally, hear me out.**

**I thought it was cool.**

**And to be fair, it's not too much of a stretch. I hope it didn't negatively effect anyone's viewing experience. **

**One side note. Power scaling. Yes Dante and Vergil should still be ridiculous, but don't worry. Try to read their actions as much as my words, they still are ridiculous, and I never said that Salem's council won't be getting some buffs down the line...**

**That said, don't expect them to go on a world wide slaughter spree straight away. While they will become more active, they start this story as professors. Team RWBY and JNPR are main characters as well, so they will be getting plenty of screen time, especially in season 1 and 2. They'll need Vergil and Dante's teachings if they're gonna survive what's coming.**

**Now to answer comments:**

(Just a warning, I did not proofread these replies, they are raw undiluted 2AM typing)

**Hellsink Bathhall: Thank you! (that's right, I answered the newest one first, anarchy!) Now to comment on your various points. I agree that against the lions share of enemies, Dante and Vergil are going to crush it. Even with any nerfs I willingly or unconsciously put on them. It would take top tier rwby fighters to brawl with them, and magical powers/extreme tomfoolery to have a chance at winning. Even then, Vergil and Dante have A LOT of battle experience, so even if they could logically win it doesn't mean the sons of Sparda won't kick their ass anyway. Fights are more than just attack power after all (even if they do have a metric f** tonne). Cross over pairings... yea, no. If Nero ever makes it into this story I agree he already has a girl, and while Dante is flirty I tend to agree that he and Lady should be a thing. Or Trish, shippers ship what you want. Vergil has a strange relationship with Glynda at the moment, I don't plan for it to go romantic but if it happens I agree that it would probably be alright. Something that started as more respect than lovey dovy feelings. Also, Dante and Vergil are grown men, shipping them with any of the barely legal teens at Beacon would make me feel a bit weird. Teen crushes yes, relation ships with students almost definetly not. As for character combining, I agree that most of the time its a bit of a story turn off for me. I won't be writing it so no need to worry, there won't be some reveal that Jaune is actually Nero yadda yadda yadda. Finally, Dante and Vergil being teachers will be a thing for at least season 1, but they will take a more active role in the story as... things happen. Not exactly as they did in cannon because of a few flapping butterfly's to keep it interesting, but rest assured, s**t will still hit the fan.**

**FerunaLutelou: Thank you for helping me with the time lines, I really dislike continuity mistakes but my memory isn't perfect :).**

**Hero of Keyblade: *TAKES IN BIG BREATH* YYYYYYYYOOOOUU'RRREEEE PPProbably right. Dante/Vergil/Nero are utterly ridicules characters from an utterly ridicules world. Listing any of their more b**ls to the walls feats would likely make people wonder why they don't just jump into the sky and break the rest of the moon before going and b**ch slapping Salem out of existence. I am probably subconsciously nerfing them (Nowhere near to the point they'd actually lose to anything pathetic). While I could give story reasons like whatever is stopping their devil trigger is also stifling them slightly, or fall back on the meta reason you mentioned about needing to nerf them so rwby characters keep up, you're probably right. That said, i would like to just bring your attention to two things, one that I'm not sure I conveyed enough and one that is a joke. Firstly, please do keep in mind that I try to shade what I write with the viewpoints of characters. While Vergil may think (but never admit) that some characters from Rwby are a threat, this could just be his opinion. An opinion influenced by the loss of his devil trigger form, making him feel more human. Although Vergil's character development has gotten him to value that half more, it is deeply ingrained in him that his devil side was a significant portion of his strength. Not saying he's weak now, only that in his mind he might be low balling his own power now that he's relying more on his human half. Just because he accepts it now, doesn't mean his years of self indoctrinated demon power worship isn't still in his subconscious. Although, make sure to remember that actions speak louder than words. While Dante and Vergil may think they're weaker, they still do insane feats in this story without even thinking about it. Feats hunters probably can't so. See what Vergil did with that giant centipede last chapter or what Dante does to... well you'll see this chapter. Now for the joke. In any DMC game, if you leave the controller or just are terrible, the weakest demon can kill you. By these feats I should probably start letting Beowulfs get more shots of on the twins :).**

**StyGian21: Thank you, I feel like it's important to talk to the readers a bit, in crossovers especially. As for the research... You'll have to find out later :). For the spellchecks, I'm sorry you found some. I try my best to catch them on my pre-release read through but more often than not some slip through. I don't have a beta reader so sometimes I read through the chapter later and see them. It's literally the worst thing, especially when you remember what you meant to write.**

**Guest: You will find out what Dante/Vergil teach in 2-3 chapters time. Stay tuned :).**

**Dragonarrow18: I hadn't planned to, but then I wasstanding full clothed in the shower when it hit me. I had been struggling on what to do with Dante/Vergil for the early story (I have plans for later :)), and the idea grew on me. I believe it would be...interesting insert evil laughter hear.**

**XenoBlaze: 1. This chapter answers that. 2. We shall see. 3. Currently no plans for it, but there is room if I feel like adding it. Feel free to comment any cool ideas, capture my interest enough and it might make it in. Thinking on it, demonic versions of their current weapons or similar could work. Could be pretty interesting with what's coming too. 4. As they were in cannon, only the magical parts of Salem's council and Salem herself would have been threats one on one. The rest of the council could put up a fight, but without outnumbering/prep time/dirty tricks it would be difficult for them to be a threat to our demonic brothers. That said, this story won't be fully following the cannon. When they enter the story, things may have changed. Maybe for the worse.**

**Nuclear Moisture: Niceeeeeee, thanks. My biggest fear is I'll write them out of character. I find Vergil easier than Dante but I will always try to keep them in character. If you ever feel they're not let me know and I may rewrite what's wrong. Except for the Vergil watching my little pony bit of this chapter, that is just so Verg (I'm trolling, please read the chapter, that doesn't happen).**

**RedBurningDragon: Them not mentioning the rock part of the sword was a bit weird, sorry. I'm sure Ruby will mention it when she gets her hands on it. As for the DMC5 arsenal, yes, Dante has them and they star in this chapter! I think I got all of them in, though Ebony and Ivory are arguably the stars. That or Cavaliere.**

**Lord-Krun: At this point in the story they can not DT for reasons they may find out in later chapters. If they did DT yes, it would be a massacre :). Dante and Vergil as de-aged students didn't really make sense to me. Hell, Nero is closer to that age and he'd still wreck the invincible girl harder that Kyrie on prom night. That was a tad graphic, I apologise, but you get the drift. Teacher's just made more sense to me, mentors even more so. Although they may end up a lot more active as the story progresses. For notes on my nerfing of them please see Keyblade's reply.**

**Guest: I'll make more as long as you keep reading :).**

**reddevil47: The school wouldn't survive Dante/Vergil as students 0_0, hope you keep reading.**

**Otakufreak225: In my opinion, Vergil cares about the strong, those who earn his respect. Dante cares more but still doesn't have any problem killing humans. He's more likely to save people for the hell of it than Vergil who would save people as collateral. Dante has his fighting styles but I won't be telling who that he is in a certain style, Ill just say what he does while you guys think 'hey that was a trickster style move!' Vergil did get Beowulf back from Dante, for nerfing comments please see Keyblade's reply. As for buffs... We'll see :). Thank you for your comments.**

**OneYuTriSlayers: Don't worry, I was just joking with you. Of course Dante and Vergil will always fight, its all Dante can remember of their time as kids! They're just not trying to kill each other anymore... OR ARE THEY DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN. Na though, and your right. Blake and Weiss' reactions to Dante should be interesting.**

**Kornerkun: Thank you :)**

**Darth Eradicus: You would be correct kind sir.**

**kerrowe: I try. And while they may feel suppressed, your right to read their actions. They are still beyond strong. Well played sir.**

**ubivashka-kun: And that's why I'm not shipping them with any students. At least not on this website...**

**Sm0keyPanda: YEAH WILL DO.**

**Now, lets get too it.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Dance of Red and Yellow

A Grimm attack was a terrible thing to witness.

What brought it on? Who knows: maybe someone was dumped, or mugged, or just felt terrible today. It didn't matter what brought the first few Grimm; once the panic started more and more came.

Every house in the village was new for this exact reason. No communities lasted more than a few years. Still, Grimm in the area spiked so rapidly the settlement hadn't been able to pack up fast enough. A desperate post on the huntsmen message boards had gone unanswered; too many problems for too few Huntsmen to deal with.

The few fighters they had were backpedalling to the town centre where their families were sheltered. They were simply ill-equipped to deal with the tide of Grimm descending upon them. They were only able to take out the young vanguard, but crashing through the treeline, they saw more massive, older Grimm.

Grimm that filled their veins with dread.

Hopelessly, the militia watched their world come crumbling down around them.

Sounds of their doom filled the air. Splintering trees as Grimm pushed steadily into their village. Breaking buildings as they were trampled by the nightmare hordes. Constant rumbling of a motorbike as it grew closer.

…

A motorbike?

Eyes darted to the forest where a demonic-looking cycle flew from the treeline. Its speed was frankly reckless, no sane person could react to the forest's twists and turns moving that fast.

Maybe that's why even the Grimm were surprised, a King Taijitu (a ginormous snake with a head each end) rearing its head just a moment too late; rather than intercepting the cycle, the Grimm merely became its ramp.

Riding along the length of the snake, black blood flew up as the beast was shredded before the demonic machine launched off the opposite head of the now-dead Grimm. As it flipped through the air, a storm of metal raged, gunshots drowning out everything else.

Landing the motorcycle with a thump, it drifted across the dirt, stopping perfectly in front of the guards.

"Hello, ladies," the man in red smirked at the gobsmacked militia. Not that they noticed; still trying to process the various Grimm dropping dead; lacking heads, limbs, or torsos. "Did you guys start the show without me?"

"Wha-?" The men and women of the village gaped at the new arrival as he hopped off the bike, sauntering towards the Grimm horde.

"I'd back away if I were you," the silver-haired saviour waved back as he strode forward without hesitation. "You're in the splash zone."

The villagers were about to comply when a screech pierced the air. Dread, temporarily pushed aside by the man's arrival, slammed against them all. Above them a giant Nevermore blocked out the sun, it's devastating wings flapping, preparing a storm of feathers that would impale them all.

Where did such a nightmarish creature even come from? What did they do to deserve such a fate, to die so soon? Why was that Nevermore exploding?

…

Wait… WHY WAS THE NEVERMORE EXPLODING?

Looking down, the villagers saw the smoking barrel of a rocket launcher being held by the red-clad hunter.

"Jackpot."

Holstering Kalina Ann, Dante smirked, launching towards the horde before the pieces of Nevermore were even near the ground. The first Beowulf slashed out at him, Dante simply leapt over it, lashing out with Coyote-A as he did.

"Down boy," Dante quipped as the shotgun blast launched him further into the air.

Dozens of wolves surged towards where their prey would land, lunging towards it… only to hit a silver staff plunged into the ground.

"Guess you really can teach wild dogs to play fetch," Dante teased before dropping down on the confused to Grimm.

Swinging King Cerberus, his silvered bo staff, Dante cleared large arcs of Grimm before the staff broke into 3 smaller rods each linked to a ring by translucent energy. Hit after hit rained down on the swarm descending on Dante, each beast swatted like a bug. It didn't matter if it was quick controlled violence or ridiculous jumping spins, everything Dante did was brutally effective.

If a bit showy.

Blasts of lightning, ice, and fire could be seen from the village square. The remaining villagers only really knowing Dante was still alive and fighting behind the black tide because of the quick flashes of elemental fury. Despite the apparent carnage terror seeped into the audience, knowing that this small reprieve would fade when the flashy huntsman inevitably fell. Because in their minds it was an inescapable fate.

To them at least.

Not to Dante…

Lumbering forward, an Ursa, a large, menacing and very very old bearlike Grimm, covered in more plate than fur went to end it. Where countless hordes of lesser Grimm failed, it would efficiently deal with this problematic human, then they would take the rest.

One Cerberus uppercut sent that proud ancient monstrosity high enough into the air that people might think it was a fat Nevermore. A Huntsman with the kind of strength to do that wasn't unheard of. A huntsman that knocked an Ursa into the air, put away his weapon, then put on a hat and magically appearing scarf?

That would just be ridiculous. Dust clothing was rare, not something that was often used as a primary weapon; too expensive for too little damage. It wasn't like you could just create red energy blasts that orbited around them hitting dozens of Grimm or throw said energy out like gunshots. Or… or… is that a laser beam?

After batting away a few opportunistic wolves, Dante sent a stream of red shots into the sky so fast it looked like a continuous beam of energy. Hitting the falling Ursa, it barely scratched its armour plates at first but just kept going, eating through and impaling the beast within moments.

Dashing forwards, a Deathstalker, a giant scorpion Grimm, swiped out at Dante. Forced to jump back, Dante's hat fell onto the arachnid Grimm, seemingly leaving him disarmed. At least, that's what the monster thought as it pressed its 'advantage'.

Out of nowhere, Dante pulled out a sword as tall as himself. With a wide grin, one slash had the Deathstalker rearing up, its vulnerable underbelly on full display. The second, third, fifth took its legs, with the final impaling the beast and ending its long terrible existence.

Tossing aside the smoking insectoid corpse, crushing a fair few more beasts as it landed, Dante quipped, slashed, and generally showed off as he cut a swathe through the horde. Gradually he eroded the peoples' expectations.

Minutes ticked by, children cheering each time he leapt into the air slashing apart the occupants of their nightmares. Militia whistled and hollered each time red swords of energy impaled Grimm from the black mass.

Barely any Grimm broke off to attack them, too preoccupied with the man cutting them down like wheat. Those who did try were weak, quickly put down by a few shots before the audience returned their eyes to Dante.

But Dante wasn't just a showman. He wasn't just a demon hunter, a saviour, or legendary dark knight.

Dante is a professor now. So he had some lessons to teach.

To his loyal fans, he taught them not to despair, to believe in the power of people, and never underestimate a stylish fighter in a red coat.

The Grimm? They learned a… different lesson.

While the concept seeped into their unknowing minds, an idea sprouted to finally erase this hunter. Rather than strong Grimm opportunistically pouncing at Dante when they saw an opening, they all lunged to crush him once and for all.

Nevermores dived down from the sky, Ursa charged at the speeds of cars all while the smaller Grimm kept him occupied. A giant Grimm elephant, a Goliath, the largest, mightiest, and oldest of the Grimm gathered trampled forward to end it all.

Dante, who had been slashing away a dance to music only he could hear, noticed the sudden shift in rhythm. Yep, it was time to finish this with a flourish.

Moments before the tide of Grimm hit, before any of them could really register it, Dante dashed forwards. Balrog, a set of demonic gauntlets and grieves, allowed Dante to easily stop the charging Goliath. Trumpeting in surprise, the sound that usually inspired fear now sounded surprised, scared even, the Goliath couldn't pull back as Dante gripped its mighty trunk.

The earth shook, the very foundations of the village vibrating as Dante swung the Goliath over his head and crushed the diving Nevermores like gnats.

…

Then he lifted it again.

Craters littered the ground as Dante used his makeshift weapon to flatten the remaining Ursa and any other Grimm bigger than a Beowulf (and some Beowulfs as collateral too). The damaged houses crumbled or were simply smashed to dust. Trees splintered as they were atomised, the audience weren't even cheering anymore; just standing there open-mouthed.

Not from horror, those homes were already mostly destroyed by Grimm, but awe at the sheer absurd showing of strength.

By the time the Goliath's pathetic groans ceased, and it dissipated into a thick black cloud, there wasn't much left of the horde. Only a few young Grimm and Dante smirking as he held onto his hat.

Despite the human now looking unarmed, The Grimm just stood there in devastated reverence. Grimm learned over the years: learned how to hunt, kill, and survive more efficiently. These Grimm? They just learned that they weren't the only creatures able to inspire fear.

Such an ability was essential to the black-furred demons.

The true horror of a Grimm attack was that the despair of the humans drew more until it was an insurmountable task to beat back the tide. It was practically impossible to save them then. It would require something to completely replace the fear they felt. Someone so utterly ridiculous that panic was replaced by joy, their fight like a performance lifting the peoples' spirits and depriving Grimm of reinforcements.

It needed someone like Dante. An illogically, impossibly strong, performer that could lift people's spirits and annihilate Grimm. The existence of such a man sank into the Grimm's animalistic minds, to the point that they knew. There was no winning here.

So they broke. First one Beowulf turned to run, then the pack, then the scattered remnants of the horde.

Not that it would save them.

Red energy fell from the heavens like meteors, obliterating the fleeing Grimm. Dust and rubble obscured the battlefield as everything was eviscerated in an unapologetic slaughter.

Walking from the cloud of carnage, the remaining villagers were silent as the hunter who saved them strode out victorious, completely unharmed. Step by step, the man in red sauntered towards them like he was just out for a stroll and hadn't just routed an entire legion of Grimm.

While the children were screaming about how cool their saviour was, the adults felt a pang of trepidation. What would a man who can crush an army of Grimm alone want with them? Could they give whatever he wanted as a reward?

"Th-thank you we-," a brave militia man stepped forward to speak with the red-clad huntsman.

"Don't worry about it," Dante patted him on the shoulder before walking casually. "You guys did good, but I've got some business here."

Sweat dripped down the faces of many adults, worrying with bated breath what he was talking about.

"Is there a," Dante paused for a moment, pulling a piece of paper from his coat. "Braun Bellflower here?"

"I'm Braun," an older greying man stepped forward. Nervously he looked at the red-coated man, set at ease only a bit at the easygoing smile on his face.

"Well," Dante started with a clap. "I'm glad to inform you that your quarry has been cleared of Grimm. Thank you for using Remnants number one monster-killing service, and for paying in advance, have a nice day."

With that, he turned, got on his bike, and started pulling away while the villagers were still stunned stupid.

"Wait your from-," Braun said, gears in his head turning only to be cut off by Dante's motorcycle engine.

"Yes I am, and thank you for your patronage!" Dante shouted back as he sped away. With the speed he was going, Dante could probably stop for a pizza without even needing to rush that much.

He had time.

Back in the village, people had already started to rebuild. All things considered, the damage was actually rather minimal; only a few houses wholly gone and most of the rest completely untouched. Kids ran down the streets pretending to be a certain red-coated hunter, completely forgetting the brutal fate they just miraculously avoided.

Those who had seen Hunters before talk about the man's weapons. Never before had they seen a motorcycle that turned into chainsaws, or weird energy swords, or whatever that hat did!

A real lack of imagination amongst the new Hunter's if you were to ask a particular red-clad man, who's brother most certainly wouldn't agree.

Many curious people crowded around Braun, asking him about the white-haired man who saved them. He told them how, since no hunters had answered their call to clear Grimm from the town quarry, he had put in a request at a specific agency…

* * *

Slowing to a stop, Yang leant back, humming a tune as she waited for the light to change back to green. Vibrations from the engine shuddered through her, heart beating; ready for the next rush. This was why Yang built Bumblebee, her beloved bike, it just felt right. The adrenaline, the power, it was just so her.

Admittedly, there was a lot of family help with Bumblebee. Dad continually trying to follow the instructions, uncle Qrow guessing measurements by the 'feel' of them, and her sister Ruby who actually did most of the work. That said, Yang kept them all on task, guiding them towards her vision of HER bike.

It took weeks to convince Ruby that Bumblebee didn't need to transform into a chainsaw. Not to mention it didn't need spikes, or rocket boosters, although Yang was remarkably tempted by that last one.

No, if Ruby were to make a bike, it would be far more like what just pulled up next to her. It looked downright demonic, with spikes at the front and everything!

"Nice ride, old man," Yang shouted to the bike's owner. He looked around Qrow's age, with a long red coat and white hair. No helmet either, unlike Yang, who wore her biking helmet and goggles; otherwise Dad would never let her ride Bumblebee anywhere.

"Yours isn't too bad either," the man replied. "But who are you calling old man? I could drive circles around a kid like you."

"Wanna bet?" Yang smirked.

"What you thinking?" Dante asked, leaning back to appraise his fellow biker.

"Last one to Junior's buys the winner a drink," Yang revved her engine as the lights turned amber.

"You're on," Dante slammed down the throttle, both bikers flying from their start line and onto the overpass.

Diving between cars on the highway, the race between the two warriors could be called many things. Dangerous, irresponsible, pointlessly tense, to name a few. Professor Goodwitch would have plenty more to say if she had witnessed the extreme speeds and quick turns only Hunters' reaction speeds could pull off.

Thankfully, Glynda Goodwitch didn't witness their race.

Heartbeat in her ears, Yang pushed the speed limit while the cars around her were nowhere near it. In it to win it, she tried not to scare other drivers as she sped past them, weaving around cars, each coming at a faster tempo.

Unfortunately, the man in red seemed to care less about the speed limit than she did. For the longest of times, Yang thought she was in the lead, only for her opponent to come from under a lorry. Overtaking Yang for the lead.

Turning around, the man in red sat backwards on his motorcycle to wave at her, not even holding his handlebars. The cocky bastard. Yang grinned, revving her engine and darting to the side.

Once again in the lead, Yang descended from the overpass, seeing the club in the distance.

Peddle to the metal, Yang shot down the road, ready to claim that drink. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow, glancing up Yang's eyes widened as she met the man in red's eyes as he flew over her. Upside down.

Flipping over, he landed skidding to a halt. Stopped precisely in front of the club just in front of where she parked.

"You're insane old-timer!" Yang laughed; that was ridiculous. Tears in her eyes she saw the man was smirking as he hopped off his ride.

"It's Dante," he replied, leaning against his bike. "And you're not too bad yourself kid."

"Yang," she smirked, offering out her hand, which Dante gladly shook. "Pleasure. Now, guess I owe you a drink."

"I've got time," Dante replied, glancing at his scroll, he could afford to waste an hour or two. "But I'll pay."

"Chivalrous of you."

"I try," Dante grinned, giving an exaggerated bow. "Though I'm pretty sure only one of us has a paying job squirt."

Chuckling, Yang followed Dante into the club. Neither gave a second glance to the orange-haired crook quickly leaving the establishment with some black-suited men as they entered.

Ordering a glass of high shelf whiskey, Dante internally cursed Vergil for getting him hooked on the good stuff and burning a bigger hole through his wallet. Dante told the bartender to charge him for whatever Yang wanted, savouring a sip of his drink. Leaning back on his stool, quietly enjoying the burn. Eyes closed, Dante just sat there, feeling the beat and nursing his chosen poison.

Yang smiled at Dante, happy to see someone else happy before deciding to make her own order.

"Strawberry sunrise. No ice," Yang called for. "Oh, and one of those little umbrellas!"

"Aren't you a little too young to be in this club, Blondie?"

Wow, that was fast, was she good or what? Sending Dante a wink, Yang put in her best 'I can do nothing wrong' expression and turned to the man who spoke. She liked to call it her Ruby impression.

Dante just raised an eyebrow before leaning back on the bar. Whatever was about to happen, Yang seemed confident in her ability to handle it. Time to sit back and enjoy.

"Aren't you a little too old to have a name like Junior?" Yang giggled.

Junior didn't look amused. Dressed in a white dress shirt with black vest, trousers, and gloves finished off with a red tie, he looked somewhat respectable. He also looked pissed. The bearded man glared down at Yang, his grey eyes meeting her purple ones.

"So you know who I am," the tall club owner replied, looming over Yang. "You got a name, sweetheart?"

"Yes, Junior," she sweetly replied. "I've got several. But you can call me, **sir**."

Dropping her innocent pretence, Yang grabbed Junior's crotch faster than the man could react and squeezed. His cry of bug-eyed pain got a look of sympathy from Dante… and a small chuckle.

"People say you know everything," Yang continued, showing Junior a picture on her scroll. "Tell me where I can find her, and I'll let you go."

"I've never seen her before," Junior said straining to speak. Dante believed him. Where did this girl get her interrogation techniques, Lady? "I swear!"

"Excuse me?" Definitely an alternate universe Lady with long blonde hair. That guy didn't stand a chance.

"I swear, sir!" Junior gasped out as his men started to surround the two of them. Briefly, a couple looked at Dante, but he just waved them off, gesturing to his half-full whiskey glass.

"Hmm, looks like we have an audience," Yang glanced around, mentally counting how many suits there were. "This must be kind of embarrassing for you, huh? Awkward…"

"Listen, Blondie-sir," Junior said, still struggling to speak. "If you want to make it out of this club alive, I suggest you let go of me. Now!"

Releasing him, Yang's face returned to the picture of innocence as Junior sighed in relief.

"You'll pay for that," Junior grunted, putting on his sunglasses and walking away from the dead girl.

"Oh, Junior, I was just playing!" Yang replied, following closely behind Junior. "Don't be so sensitive! Come on, let's kiss and make up, okay?"

"Huh?" Junior turned, looking confused at the blonde teen. But she was pretty easy on the eyes, and it's not like she did anything too damaging… "Uh, okay."

Smooth, Yang internally chuckled as she leaned towards a kiss. Junior, moments before feeling the buxom blondes pillowy lips on his own… instead felt Yang's fist, planted firmly in his face.

So firmly in fact that it sent him flying across his club.

Launching herself into the air, Yang activated her gauntlets and slammed into the dance floor. The shockwave sent her opponents stumbling back as shattered glass flew through the air.

Batting away the glass shards sent his way, Dante took another sip of his whiskey, calmly watching Yang's fight. She was pretty good. Not Huntress level but if Yang wasn't in training he'd eat his hat.

Given that his hat, Faust, wouldn't like that, it would be a somewhat painful experience.

Yang moved quite well, bobbing and weaving between enemies, using her gauntlets for both attacking and movement. A boxer, Dante would guess but suffered from the same thing he did.

She was a show-off.

While Dante had the power and experience to compensate, the same might not be said of Yang if she ended up fighting the higher tiered threats. Or as Vergil put it, 'people worth fighting'.

The music changed as Yang slammed the DJ into his equipment, two new opponents making themselves known as she did. A set of twin girls, seemingly near Yang's age, with red and white motifs respectively. One with red bladed gauntlets, the other with white bladed heals.

"Melanie," the red twin started. "Who is this girl?"

"I don't know, Miltia," the white girl replied. "But we should teach her a lesson."

Reloading, Yang launched herself at the twins, firing explosive shots that each twin easily dodged. Then they started taking Yang apart.

Spinning, dodging, never letting Yang have a moment to breathe, Dante saw more holes in Yang's fighting style.

The girl was a tank, hit hard and weather the storm, but each time she missed was energy wasted. If the twins were better fighters, or even just close to Yang's level, she would probably lose.

Luckily for Yang, the twins apart were nowhere near as strong apart as they were together. Proven when she managed to knock the white twin back for a moment then pummel the red twin.

Miltia felt glass shatter against her back as Yang launched her through a pillar. The red twin curled in the air, dreading the impact of the wall now that her aura was broken. It would hurt. A lot. Maybe even break something with how fast she was flying-

Warmth surrounded Miltia and the impact never came. Still feeling herself moving, she kept her green eyes locked closed until she finally stopped. Blinking open her eyes she saw… a cute guy?

Wait, this was the bar…

"You alright?" The man asked, offering a hand to help her up off the floor.

"Y-yeah," Miltia blushed as she was pulled up. Sitting on a bar stool, she dumbly watched Dante lean over, stealing supplies from behind the counter as he mixed something up. "I'm Miltia, by the way."

"Dante," the man replied with a smirk that only made Miltia's cheeks redden more. "Your sister's doing pretty well."

"Yea," looking over Miltia had to agree. "She's always been the quicker fighter. I'm more of the lumbering hard hitter of the two of us."

"You did fine," Dante patted her on the shoulder. "And I'm speaking as a younger, stronger, handsomer twin myself."

"...Thanks," Miltia whispered, returning her attention to the fight.

Both spectators winced as the white twin was brutally floored by Yang, aura breaking on the final kick.

Music changing again, the white twin limped off to join them as their boss took to the stage.

"You okay?" The white twin nodded at her sister as she slumped onto a bar stool. Realising they weren't alone, the white twin shot a questioning look at her sister's companion. "Oh, right! Melanie, this is Dante. Dante, Melanie."

"A pleasure," Dante winked, getting two out of two on the blushing twin scale.

Explosions rocked the dance floor, with the trio making small talk as Junior attacked Yang. Dante had used a rocket launcher as a bat before but had never seen one that actually turned into a bat. Until now. That said, Junior was quite obviously out of his league.

With a unanimous three out of three, the spectators all agreed Junior was fucked.

Turning away from the fight, Dante poured his final drink mixture into two martini glasses. But it needed something… Something special.

Then it hit him.

Or rather, it didn't. Plucking a stray rocket out the air, Dante gave a quick smirk to the twins who were nearly exploded, before lighting his drinks on fire.

Miltia and Melanie were scared shitless when a rocket nearly hit them without any aura. Breathing heavily, they calmed enough to be utterly awed at how easily Dante plucked the missile that would have hospitalised them out of the air. Then be completely flabbergasted as he set his mixes on fire, and entirely nonpulsed when he discarded the rocket over his shoulder, breaking yet more glass.

"May I present," Dante dramatically spun, holding the two flaming glasses but never spilling a drop. "The devil's delight."

Each girl took a glass, marvelling at what could possibly be in it.

Behind Dante, a shockwave blasted through the club, Junior flying through the window as Yang finished the fight.

With a mane of raging fire, Yang looked like an avenging goddess. Though with those glowing red eyes, Dante supposed she might be a little bit demon. Burning heat filled the air, as though they were all too close to the sun itself.

Then she was gone.

Picking up his whiskey, Dante smiled at the still stunned twins before clinking his glass against theirs.

"Cheers."

* * *

"AHH!" Ruby jumped as a man flew from the sky.

Oh my Oum, the songs were true, it was raining men! She had to find cover, preferably something impact resistant. A bunker! Ruby had to find a bunker, grab Zwei and weather out the storm…

Wait a second… Why would it rain people… wearing suits? That made no sense. Ruby never quite believed Yang and Dad when they told her about baby carrying storks, even before Qrow stepped in, telling Ruby how it really worked.

Gross.

But the stork story had to come from somewhere, right? Like raining people. But how would clouds make clothes? That was impossible; clouds don't have thumbs, neither do birds! Now that she thought about it, there was the sound of breaking glass too.

Looking around, Ruby then noticed the club with shattered windows a familiar blonde walking out.

"Yang?" Ruby tilted her head, staring with wide silver eyes. "Is that you?"

"Oh," Yang blinked, noticing Ruby was there for the first time. "Hey sis!"

"What are you doing here?" Ruby asked, gesturing to the broken glass and empty street.

"It's…" Yang sighed. "A long story…"

"Did you kill this guy?" Ruby poked Junior's unmoving body.

"OH DUST IS HE DEAD?" Yang sprinted over lifting Junior up by the suit and manically shaking him.

"Wait, Yang, I think he's breathing," Ruby grabbed her sister's arms, just barely stopping Yang from hurting the guy more.

"Oh, thank Oum," Yang relaxed, dropping Junior to the ground with a loud thud.

"YANG! Don't drop people," Ruby admonished, slapping her sister's head to no effect. 'She doesn't even look guilty', Ruby thought pouting.

"Oh, don't worry Rube," Yang smirked. "He deserved it. Now I think we need to find somewhere to party at, we need to celebrate me going to BEACON!"

"Yang, you're not leaving for a couple of weeks. And you just destroyed a club!" Ruby exclaimed, waving her hands in the air. "I think you've had enough 'partying' for today."

"No such thing Ruby, now you in or out?" Yang asked, swinging her leg onto Bumblebee.

"Out," Ruby deflated. "I'll just find a dust shop and read some weapon magazines. The new addition of Mistral munitions monthly should be out now! And someone has to make sure you make it onto the ferry later."

"Ah, look at my little sister being all responsible," Yang cooed.

"Well one of us has to- Ah STOP IT, Yang STOP," Ruby tried to slap her sister's hands away as Yang ruffled her hair. For someone who didn't let anyone touch her hair, Yang needed to learn to stay an arm's length away, the touchy, feely, dumb-dumb head.

"Eh, I'll be fine. Won't it be hard to find a dust shop open this late?" Yang couldn't help a bit of concern leak into her voice. Ruby was HER little sister after all. Can you blame her?

"I'll find one," Ruby replied. "Now go, have fun, and try not to get in trouble. Please!"

"Yes, Maam!" Yang saluted, revving her engine and speeding off into the night as Ruby shooed her away.

Huh, Yang thought for a second. Where was Dante's bike? Damn, was it stolen? Poor guy. But tonight was a night for celebrating, time for some full-throttle fun.

* * *

Maybe, just maybe, if he didn't move, it would stop.

…

…

Nope. Everything still hurts.

Slowly, straining each of his aching muscles, Junior rose up off the ground. Why was he still outside the club? Grumbling, the club owner limped back inside his wrecked establishment. His glass guys were going to have a fucking field day cleaning and replacing all the windows Blondie shattered.

Though Junior still wouldn't report it.

Oum knows what would happen if word went around about him ratting out another criminal. Even if the crime was just vandalism with HIM as the victim. It was the sad reality of being an information broker; you just had to handle your own problems.

"You really think we could do it?"

Junior frowned at the voice coming from the bar, hobbling over broken glass to HIS bar, where HIS bodyguards were drinking with just… some guy?

"Definitely," the red-clad man said while eating a… pizza. They ordered PIZZA! He was unconscious, lying in the street, and they ordered pizza. "People get a tonne of jobs through their lives, you might not be able to get in this year but if you save up, train a bit more, I reckon you could get in next year. And if you don't then spend that money on getting into fashion."

"Ahem," Junior cleared his throat, glaring at his employees as they leapt to their feet. "Who are you, and why are you trying to convince MY employees out of their jobs. Which they should be DOING. NOW."

"I'm Dante," the man in red replied, still relaxing in his seat like he owned the place. "The fully trained Hunter that your employees have been distracting, so I don't notice anything out of the ordinary."

...

Fuck.

Quickly thinking through the different escape routes, Junior decided that the basement was his best bet. Hunter's had incredible movement but in a tunnel… Who was he kidding, he'd still be screwed. Deflating, Junior waited for whatever the Hunter was going to do, ready to just cut his losses and accept it.

Dante offered him a drink. "Tough night?" he asked as Junior tentatively took the tequila.

"You have no idea," Junior sighed, sinking into a stool and slumping over the bar.

"Take a load off," Dante patted Junior's shoulder before sliding a pizza box over to him. "And don't worry about losing the twins. Not yet at least. I was just telling them that they need to find something they love doing and then get paid to do it."

"Good advice," Junior admitted, internally wondering if he should have become a florist.

Things would undoubtedly be more straightforward.

* * *

"Have fun girl's," Dante waved.

"By Dante!" The twins waved back in unison as their new friend left the club. Maybe one day he could be their teacher too… if everything played out.

It had been a good evening, the four of them settled in at the bar. Dante and Junior trading stories while the twins commented or criticised. Enough Pizza and whiskey to go around helped.

Reflecting on the evening as he strolled down the streets, a call to adventure struck Dante in a way it often did. A declaration singing through the air, or as most people would call it, the sound of a distant explosion.

Eyes darting up, Dante pondered for three seconds on his course of action.

After a second, he fully admitted to himself that yes, he wanted to go see what the explosion was. It was probably going to be fun.

The next second had him check the time, grinning as he realized he could go on this little side quest and still make it.

Then the final second was Dante mounting his bike, Cavaliere, launching himself towards the action.

* * *

"We've got a Huntress!" Roman Torchwick, criminal genius and dapper gentlemen, shouted to his boss.

It was meant to be an easy night. Grab some of Junior's goons, go to a dust store that was still open, rob it of dust, leave the money, done. Buffoons could do it, which is why Roman settled for Junior's people. Henchmen able to understand orders even if they don't have much higher brain function beyond that.

But of course, there had to be an annoying, persistent, midget in the store. A little red girl with a giant ass scythe who beat the crap out of his hired goons before turning to him. Deciding to leave, Roman politely told Red that he enjoyed this evening but would now be parting ways with her… A message delivered by a high explosive shot from his gun cane.

THAT USUALLY WORKED.

But noooooo. Little Red must have somehow dodged because she persistently chased him up to the roof. So plan B. Jump on his bullhead, currently piloted by his scary ass boss, throw a highly explosive dust crystal at Red, then shoot her again.

Bish bash bosh done.

AND IT SHOULD HAVE WORKED.

Only for a Huntress, headmistress Goodwitch herself, to appear, block the explosion and now try to magically bring down his bullhead!

Taking the controls, Torchwick smirked as the scariest woman in his life went to deal with the second scariest woman in his life. Excluded when his usual partner was sugar deprived; he kept that girl well fed ever since the first time... Thank god for that conveniently located ice cream van. Torchwick might not have survived to become a criminal mastermind without it.

He tried to manoeuvre around the Huntress' blows against the ship but couldn't fly away while they were under attack. Hopefully, his boss would be able to burn Goodbitch away so they could leave before anything…else…happened….

Is that a flying motorcycle?

FUCK. THIS. DAY.

Turning the debris Goodwitch was using to telekinetically attack them with to ash, Tortchwick's boss had barely a moment to turn around and lash out at their new combatant. Explosive fire flew from both her hands, one forcing Glynda and the red girl back, while the other tore the flying bike apart.

It did not, however, seem to damage it's driver.

Emerging from the smoke, Dante slashed down with his sword, cutting through a bit of the roof before the fiery criminal caught the blade. Torchwick started piloting the bullhead away from the scene of the crime while making sure to keep an eye on his boss' fight.

For a moment his boss tried to melt the blade, only for its wielder to smirk at her. Damn it, what was this thing made of-

BANG

Ears ringing, Torchwick watched as his boss reared back clutching her face as the gunshot echoed through the bullhead.

Another shot rang out as Dante pressed his silver pistol, Ivory, into her stomach and pulled the trigger. Instinctually doubling over in pain, she had no time to react as Dante pressed his black pistol, Ebony, to her temple and shot again.

Swinging wildly, his boss tried to get some distance with a savage wave of fire, only for pain to erupt at her wrist as Dante pulled the trigger again. Then her face, liver, kidneys, arms as she attacked again, eyes, head, stomach. Brutally, Dante kept her stunned; constant hits to the head disorientating her while body shots kept her harmless.

Tortchwick, seeing his boss be taken apart like a child, did the only thing he could.

He span the bullhead.

Barrel roll after barrel roll forced Dante out of the open bullhead door, but he held on with one hand, not ready to leave the fight yet. Just as he was about to pull himself back in, he looked up to see a fiery, furious woman.

Heels melted into the bullhead floor to keep her rooted, hellfire erupted in her hand, launching it at Dante.

Letting go of the bullhead, the attack carried over his head as the bullhead continued to spin.

Once it came around a full loop, the fiery witch was ready with another barrage of hellfire, only to see the fallen Dante with a rocket launcher in hand. Winking, Dante pulled the trigger, noticing his boss' smirk a moment too late.

The second the rocket left Kalina Ann's chamber, it exploded, sending Dante flying like a smoking meteor back to the ground. Bullhead doors closing, the criminals saw the Hunter annoyingly land on his feet before they sped away.

"That was close," Roman commented, only to shudder as his boss' amber eyes burn holes into his head. "Shutting up now."

She didn't bother to admonish her subordinate. Breathing heavily, the real criminal mastermind closed her eyes, trying to recenter herself. That had been close…

This could be a problem…

* * *

"Anyone catch the plate of that bullhead that hit me," Dante joked as he reached the roof little Red and Glynda were on.

Dusting ash off his coat, Dante saw Glynda give her 'we just lost' glower. Meanwhile, the red-hooded girl seemed relieved he was okay. Wow, a random girl was more worried about him that a coworker. Should he be happy with the amount of faith Glynda had in him or offended with how little his safety mattered to her?

Eh, he'll just force Vergil into a room with her for a while. It was the perfect punishment.

Dante was brought out of his revenge plotting when the girl in red started to… vibrate. A wide smile stretched across her lips, eyes widened, and she looked like someone just told her it was Christmas.

"You're a hunter," the Red girl asked, practically shaking as Dante nodded. "And you're a huntress. Can I have your autographs!"

One long journey to the police station, several cold Goodwich stares, and an autograph from Dante later, Ruby found herself in a dark interrogation room with a single light. Goodwitch pacing around her while Dante sat, leaning back on his chair with his feet on the table.

Were they going to be good cop bad cop? That had never really worked on Ruby before, but then again Zwei was a corrupt bad cop, easily bribed. Did she need a lawyer?

As it turned out, Ruby didn't need a lawyer. In fact, Dante seemed to sabotage or comment on everything Goodwitch said. Dante probably shouldn't have been here, but Vergil's hobby for annoying Goodwitch was rubbing off on him. That and the kid seemed nervous, so it was pretty easy to forget about the time, kick back and help her relax.

Though Dante had to admit, Ruby was pretty good with her scythe. The video headmaster Ozpin showed when he arrived reminded him unsurprisingly of Qrow, but Ruby was missing something… critical thinking.

Each movement Ruby made was fluid, well-executed, but not the best move she could have made. The girl needed experience. To prioritise threats. Maybe have something smaller than a scythe for human targets. Qrow used a sword for most of his duels, it was just more versatile, more comfortable to defend with and counter.

Ruby had a good heart; evident in wanting be a huntress, saving people was her one and only life plan. The kid had potential. A lot more than most.

Ozpin seemed to agree, offering Ruby a spot at Beacon right there and then, once Dante vouched for her. Though for some reason the demon slayer thought Ozpin would have done it anyway. It made him just a tad more suspicious of their mysterious headmaster. Why did he focus on Ruby's silver eyes when he came in? What was that old guy planning?

Judging by the eye roll from Glynda, Ozpin would be doing all the paperwork pertaining to Ruby by himself, Dante smirked.

Seeing his smirk, Glynda had him babysitting Ruby while they waited for her family to arrive. Did she have the rest of the evening off? Probably.

"Ruby!" a certain blonde ran into the station, beelining for her little sister.

"Yang!" Ruby shouted back only to be crushed in one of the infamous Xia Long hugs. A loving embrace so strong you'll feel your ribs crack from happiness!

"Hey Yang."

"Dante!?" Yang looked at the hunter wide-eyed but still holding Ruby tightly.

"You know Dante?" Ruby gasped out, trying to breathe.

Stories were traded, each girl learning about the other's night. Yang spun a stunningly exaggerated yarn recounting their race, with a few explosions and bike ninjas littered in. Meanwhile Ruby recounted Dante's brutal fight against the mysterious fire witch, sound effects included.

"You girls okay to get home on your own?" Dante asked as they strolled out of the station.

"Yeah, Dad's waiting back at home," Yang grabbed her sister's shoulder, squeezing Ruby with a wide smile. "He freaked out, hearing it was you not me at the police station. Oh my dust, I can't wait to see his face when you tell him you're going to Beacon with me!"

"Take a picture for me," Dante chuckled as they parted ways. "I expect proof when you come to my class in a few weeks!"

"Wait," Yang called out. "You're a teacher?"

"Yep, but if you want to know what I teach, you'll have to make it past initiation!" With that, Dante turned into an alley and was gone.

"He's so cool," Ruby gushed, grabbing Yang's spare helmet.

"Damn right he is," Yang agreed, revving Bumblebee's engine. "And we're going to be learning from him," Yang smirked, glad that Ruby wasn't having a nervous breakdown about going to Beacon. With teacher's that cool, it was going to be quite the adventure.

Down the alley, Dante glanced at the time, wincing before he rushed off. Reaching his destination, Dante gently opened the door, glad to see the lights were off. Sighing with relief, Dante entered, flicked the lights on.

"You're late."

Dante froze, looking across the room to see his brother Vergil, reading a book without even looking at him. Next to him was another chair and a table, with two glasses of high-end whiskey sitting ready.

"You know," Dante said as he sauntered across the room, kicking pizza boxes out of the way before dropping down into the spare seat. "You shouldn't read in the dark, it's bad for your eyes."

"I'm aware," Vergil replied, sipping from his own glass. "Just like I'm aware that you should have been here hours ago. So, why are you late Dante?"

"Technically I'm not late," Dante pointed out, leaning back in his chair. "I just came second in our little race. Congratulations brother dear, you won."

Unamused, Vergil looked up from his book, raising an eyebrow at his younger brother.

"Fine," Dante admitted. "I made a small detour."

"You should have beaten me here by at least three hours," Vergil stated matter-of-factly.

"I made a series of small detours," Dante smirked. "In fact, I think this will be an interesting year at Beacon."

"How so?" Vergil asked, finally closing his book to fully devote his attention to the conversation.

"Let's just say I managed to get a rather talented student into initiation this year," Dante swirled his drink for a second before continuing. "Talented but inexperienced, a real gem in the rough."

"Interesting," Vergil conceded. "I too found a capable student for initiation. While she seems to lack formal training, she is experienced and would be deadly if given the right environment to grow. I had Ozpin interview her at the police station tonight. Naturally, Ozpin accepted my evaluation."

"Wow," Dante whistled, leaning forward on his chair with a teasing smile. "You go on a mission far north and come back with a girl. Cradle robber."

"While my trip north was enlightening," Vergil handed over a few documents to Dante, the younger brother reading through them as he continued. "My only interest in our students is seeing which one will grow stronger," Vergil finished with a competitive glint in his eye.

"Yeah," Dante agreed. "It could be interesting, and they need the training with what's out there." Frowning at the last picture in the file, Dante pushed it aside before smiling up at his brother. "So, you were right then."

"I normally am Dante," Vergil offhandedly boasted, placing down his empty glass.

"I probably already know the answer," Dante stated, gulping down the last of his own drink. "But what do you think, Vergil?"

"I think it would be a fight worthy of the sons of Sparda," Vergil smirked dangerously. "Unless you've grown too soft, Dante."

"Enemy with unknown power, impossible odds, and a magical handicap," Dante listed off, casually throwing his glass to the far counter, where it landed without breaking. "I'd say I have a better track record with those kinds of situations. Although it will be nice not having to kill you this time around."

"As if you could," Vergil stood, Dante following his lead. "Now, let's spar."

"We agreed on anything the other wanted to whoever got back first," Dante raised an eyebrow. "And you just want us to spar again?"

"If I want something from you Dante, I'll take it," Vergil stated as if it were immutable truth. Then, without warning, he slashed at Dante, faster than most humans could react, sending his brother crashing across the room even though he blocked.

"I just had this place how I liked it," Dante moaned, pushing away pizza boxes and discarded bottles from where he landed.

"Given the amount of effort you went recreating this place," Vergil stalked towards Dante, slowly unsheathing the Yamato. "I would think you'd take better care of it."

"I like it, it's homey." Dante kicked his jukebox, music blaring on as the two brothers launched themselves at each other.

Outside, even those passing didn't worry about the sounds of gunshots and carnage. The neighbours were all too used to it, accepting that they could never convince the brothers to keep it down once they got into it.

It was just the kind of thing you learned to put up with, living next to the Devil May Cry Agency.

Remnants one-stop shop for all your monster hunting needs.


	4. Chapter 4: First Impressions

**AUTHOR ****NOTE**

**Return of the 2AM writing babble!**

**'Hey, I bet I could get a chapter out every month.'**

**'No you can't. I know you, your gonna fail by the end of February.'**

**'How do you know that?'**

**'I'm you idiot.'**

**'...Damn he's right!'**

**Hello, on and all. Yes, this chapter is rather late. In my defence... I have no defence. A myriad of things conspired together to delay this chapter. First there was a pinch of writer's block. I blame Yang, because I can. Then world events happen, combined with work place change I was incredibly unprepared for. Anyway, you don't read fanfiction for updates on that, and I don't read the news so I wouldn't have any anyway! Stay safe, etc.**

**By the way, I went back and edited the last 3 chapters. Hopefully there are less spelling mistakes and continuity errors now. if there are more, then I don't know how that happened. Black magic maybe? We can only guess at the reasons behind my immense ineptitude.**

**Honestly, I'm still not sure about this chapter. It's got some nice scenes in it, but it was meant to cover all the way to the cliffs and well, doesn't. At least it knocks out a couple of episodes. I'm just worried it jumps around too many perspectives while not changing events enough at the moment. Although, there isn't meant to be much change yet, so I guess... Ug. I don't know, I hope you all enjoy reading the late chapter, I'll try to have the next one up by at least mid June.**

**NOW TO THE IMPULSIVE REPLIES TO MONTHS OLD COMMENTS**

**DUNUNUNUNUNUNA!**

**So:**

**AJ Harvey: While that might be a good idea, when DT is reintroduced, I doubt it will be at such a... happy time. That said, i do like the idea of professors duelling for the audience... I might steal that.**

**RedBurningDragon: Thank you, I'll have to write a paragraph or two with Ruby fangirling about it. It may simply be that it wasn't the time and place to wonder about it before. Mysterious twins and all. I looked back to edit the other chapters, grammar and such, but couldn't really think where to work it in naturally.**

**Lord-Krun: This comment literally made me realise how sloppily I wrote that scene in terms of names. Probably not as badly as this chapter with how many characters I jump to, but pretty bad. Anyway, I've gone back and (hopefully) fixed it so miss glass shoe's name no longer appears.**

**As for the how she's not Swiss cheese on the sidewalk, I know Dante's guns are stronger than your run of the mill pistols. Not quite end of DMC1 strong, but enough to wreck face. Since Cinder is a half maiden, and was fresh to the fight, I might of buffed her aura a tad. Personally, I don't think it was too much, but despite to say, if there was no barrel role, this fic would be minus one villain after another few shots. Cinder underestimated the fight, got completely manhandled, and was lucky to get away. Not to say Cinder could take Dante when not underestimating him, only that it definitely didn't help her.**

**Red Dusk 369: To the first comment, Dante isn't all knowing, and wanted to do a 'wink here's a rocket to blow you up' moment. The premature explosion caught him off guard, by the time he recovered the bullhead was too far to trickster to.**

**I see your point of pairings... Though definitely not that h**tai stuff, no never, why would you even bring it up, I definitely never *cough* *cough*. Honestly, I might go into a pairing, Glynda/Vergil seems to be happening rather naturally as I write, so it might happen. Got nothing planned for Dante, even if he does know what sex is. One character in the future I thought might be good, but none of the students seem to be working in my head.**

**I know there are stories that do capable, barely legal teens who end up having deep, meaningful relationships. Some are pretty well written, love knows no age gap (as long as they're both legal) etc. Maybe some of the girls will get teen crushes on Dante, maybe one of them could teach him what sex is. Whatever happens, it will only come about if it feels natural. At the moment no plans, but there's possibility.**

**FerunaLutelou: Yeah, probably could have got it to work, but I really liked it this way, so slightly non cannon timeline. It'll divert more as the show goes on, butterfly effect and all, but at least the first couple of seasons should be pretty close plot wise. And while more story lines are added, or concluded in different ways, I will try to follow the general feel of the show-ish. Some bad things might not happen, others might be worse. Who knows? Me, probably, but I'm not telling :)**

**Keno02013: Maybe, eventually. Demons will be a slow add, introducing new plot points and such. But, if the girls and Ren manage to kill a big D-boy, I probably won't screw them out of a cool devil arm addition. In most cases I'm imagining it like a Cavalier situation, where demon parts join up with their weapons for new shenanigans. Though i do have plenty of time to change my mind on that. Hell, the added fire power might help with what's coming ;)**

**reddevil47: I like the brotherly fighting too, it will likely persist. Vergil/Glynda seem to be a pair growing on me, hopefully the plot won't get in the way of their blooming hatinglyloving relationship.**

**Sm0keyPanda: If you think that chapter wasn't jumpy, just wait until you read this one! Seriously though, i feel like I'm doing too many points of view? Who knows, anyway, thank you, I will try to keep the brothers as bad ass as possible. :)**

**kerrowe: I'm trying to catch those typos, even went back and edited the last 3 chapters, alas some always get through. Damn you word, why can't you catch my bad spelling! Oh well, as for the students. if only we had an upper year class for our heroines and Ren to get information from. Some kind of Coffee themed team. ;)**

**Guest of Jan 4: Short, concise, I like it. Thank you!**

**StyGian21: Thank you, this chapter is a more mixed chapter, but I'm glad the contrast came off so well. The next few chapters will be more about RWBY and the initiation, following the gist of the plot since there haven't been many changes yet. There will be more, especially when the plot gets less schooly and more world ending plotty. That said, we are entering the school time Arc so, yeah. Teacher time. I will keep trying to keep the brothers in character, seeing the main changes being in the characters once they start getting taught more than the overarching plot at the moment. Hopefully, it will be a good read.**

**Otakufreak225: Thank you! Funny thing, Dante usually loses his weapons between games because he sells them... Because he's just that bad with money. With Vergil around, Dante wasn't really allowed to do that, not to mention Vergil can actually manage money if he wants to. The extra work from a Grimm infested world helps too.**

**^2nd comment reply^: I'm thinking about jumping straight up to sin, but it's a while until I have to decide.**

**Minxiboo: That warms my heart man. Thanks :)**

**Anon: I know the Naruto fics you speak of. I once skimmed one with Naruto in the Game of Thrones universe. How he wouldn't wreck literally everything apart from maybe, MAYBE, the night king with buffs was beyond me. No tension.**

**Yang, or any other girl or Ren, will not be getting Sparda powers. They may, MAY, get devil arms later in the story. Not even I have decided that yet. As for the nerfs, yes, the twins would wreck all kinds of face at full power, even in DMC 3 scaling, let alone DMC 5 scaling. Even nerfed as they are, most characters would still be curb stomped. They are levelled closer to RWBY characters for the sake of actually stakes, but when I reveal how that happened in like...chapter 20-something, I don't think you'll feel incredibly cheated. And if/when Vergil and Dante do struggle, I'm sure it will be against reasonable opponents... Or against well prepared enemies... Yes... indeed it will be...Muhaha-HAHAHAH-HAH!HHAHAH!HAH!HAH!**

**Hellsink Bathhall: To be fair to Dante, he really didn't have an opportunity to return Kalina Ann when jumping into hell to cut down a tree. Nor did he have time to return Kalina Ann 2 (foreshadowing). :) As for pairings, Vergil seems to be bantering well with Glynda, no idea if that will turn into something (honestly I don't plan these things). Dante, as we all know, doesn't know what sex is ;) Seriously though, not sure if either of them will go into romance, it would be a slow, growing thing for either of them. Some of the girls might get some teen crushes, as I'm told humans tend to do, but I don't think they'll go anywhere.**

**How do you know one of them hasn't already met Raven? DUNDUNDUNNNN! Timeskip shenanigans, who could say? Though I'll admit, it would be a funny scene to have Vergil and Dante watching Raven and Qrow fight. 'Was that what we used to look like?' 'Shut up Dante.' Who knows who the worse parent is, after all, arms do grow back right- oh. Oh no. In any case, Cindy is still around probably due to a bit of an aura buff. Especially to maiden auras, though I'd say not to underestimate a powerful hunters aura. I talk more about it in Lord-Krun's reply. P.S. of course there would be teasing :) P.S. While it may start comedic, and will stay comedic a lot, who knows what will happen when evil cogs start turning... ****evilly...**

**It is ON: Thank you, will do :)**

**Nuclear Moisture: Thanks. Shipping might happen, slowly, over time, due to shared experiences and respect. But nothing is planned. Some of the girls might get teen crushes, but they'll be crushed. I can totally see Ruby and Dante enjoying themselves while the others look on in confusion XD.**

**gotSaws: Thank you, I thought it ought to be written :) however slowly it is.**

**Guest from Jan 8th: Thank you :)**

**Darkmaster10000000: A conversation between them would be interesting. Though they might have already met in passing, time skip MUHAHAHA!**

**helkil: They do fit well together don;t they? Who knows what it will turn into.**

**TheSilverHunt3r: Thank you, I do actually plan to have Junior and the twins in the story a tad more than cannon. Hopefully everyone's portrayal stays on point! Anywho, the villains planning around the twins will be one of the best parts :)**

**EmeraldAuthor95:... :) Who knows how things will pan out.**

**Mulligan317: I'm not sure if I'll do two separate devil triggers for the twins. i might just jump straight to sin, but it's a while before I have to really decide on that. Thank you for the support!**

**Guest of Feb 23rd: Thank you, I only hope I can keep him in character in chapters that aren't so dedicated to him and are more split. With the school teacher arc, it may be difficult.**

**Darth Eradicus: First she has to find out what kind of teacher Dante is. From a distance, even the scruffy Dante could look respectable. But once Weiss gets to know him...**

**Guest of Apr 22nd: I agree**

**Well, thank god I don't edit or spell check those replies or I'd be delaying this chapter another month! Now, let's get to the chapter! WARNING: This chapter includes a rare occurrence, me not having at least one of the twins kill hundreds of Grimm. Those of mild compositions be warned!**

* * *

Chapter 4: First Impressions

If teaching at Beacon had taught Vergil anything, it was that there were lessons he had to teach and lessons his students had to learn.

For example, he had to teach a well-rounded curriculum; so that his students could do something else if they ever decided to stop fighting. A ridiculous idea in Vergil's opinion but they fought for different reasons, perhaps they lost their will to fight to the end.

They were only human after all.

Meanwhile, lessons that had to be learnt included what he was currently teaching his little brother. Dante needed to learn to listen to him. Not half listen, not pretend to listen, not 'I got the gist', bit actually listen.

Maybe it was a lost cause. Vergil had tried to teach this lesson repeatedly, to no avail. But he would make the sacrifice and persevere in making his brother a more bearable person.

Which is why Vergil was sipping tea in a private room of a shuttle to Beacon, while Dante was climbing the cliffs by hand WITHOUT any magical powers.

…

Just because Vergil said they could race each other from opposite sides of the school didn't mean they would. Dante should have listened.

Petty as it was, Vergil could stop the smirk that grew on his lips as he took another sip of tea.

"Am I so terrifying?" Vergil asked, not bothering to open his eyes as he savoured the taste of his tea. He didn't need to look to know his cabin companion was flicking her eyes between the game board and himself.

"Honestly?" Blake asked, retreating a piece back to her side of the board. "Yes."

Vergil smiled at that, making his move before finally opening his eyes to look at Blake. Frowning at the board, Blake had yet to notice Vergil's attention, wondering how predictable she was that Vergil could play with his eyes closed.

In truth, this game had ended a dozen moves ago. Vergil wondered how long it would take for his student to notice. Chess had been an enjoyable pass time, one that let Vergil learn a lot about his opponents.

Dante played flashily. Individual pieces dancing through enemy lines, but they lacked more nuanced strategies. He was direct. It didn't matter if he won or lost, Dante just wanted to play.

Vergil controlled the board. Methodically conquering it piece by piece, each movement increasing the gap of power between him and the enemy. Grand strategies executed to guarantee victory.

Blake… retreated. Starting with broad gestures, quick attacks, but the moment she was being overpowered, she backpedalled. Now she desperately tried to protect her most valuable pieces, unable to see the noose tightening.

Flaws she would have to be trained out of, Vergil thought. The educator in him already drawing up plans to refine the girl into a true force to be reckoned with.

"Now that I'm a student," Blake started, moving the conversation away from what might anger the man before her. "Are you going to tell the other teachers about… me… being a Faunus."

"You are not currently a student; first you must go through initiation, though it shouldn't be much trouble for someone of your level. But, in regards to sharing details about you, No." Vergil replied, making his move as soon as Blake let go of her piece. "What you decide to share amongst your colleagues is your decision to make." Blake gave him a disbelieving look. "It is my purpose to sharpen your skills into that of a true warrior. Anything else is pointless."

Blinking, Blake glared at the board, tentatively making her next move. "So… how do I measure up to the other students- initiates, this year?"

"You do well, "Vergil replied, forcing Blake to retreat further as he cast his mind back to the combat recordings of each new student. "I would rank you amongst the top five in terms of combat ability, likely top-three against human-sized opponents."

"I have experience against Grimm," Blake objected, tentatively reaching towards a piece before pulling her hand back. She mentally noted Vergil was ignoring of academic ability. Did he doubt her, or just not care? Which was worse?

"I'm aware. Against last year's students, you would have easily ranked higher given your past. Thankfully, unlike last year, there is more than a single team of capable individuals."

"I thought Beacon was for the best," Blake made her move, chancing a glance up at Vergil, happy to see him still only terrifying and not hostile.

"As did I," Vergil replied, sipping his tea, inattentively moving to end the game. "Perhaps my standards are too high; they're only humans after all."

There it was again, Blake thought, frowning. Blake had three conversations with the fear-inducing man opposite her. One on the train where she abandoned Adam, another after she spoke to Ozpin, and now. Through all of them, he kept slipping, belittling humans, looking down on them. Was he a Faunus? Or was it just some kind of god complex?

Refocusing on the board, Blake ran through what she could do, going through every option before finally realising. "I've lost."

"A while ago," Vergil agreed. "But I'm glad you noticed before we arrived."

As if waiting for Vergil to mention it, the intercom crackled to life, announcing their arrival at Beacon. Bidding her goodbye, Vergil handed Blake a brown covered book, stating it may help her before striding away.

There was still time to observe some of the initiates before Ozpin's speech. A champion, heiresses, prodigies, this was shaping up to be an interesting year. Smirking widely, Vergil thought that some may even survive what's coming.

Behind him, Blake let out a breath, finally relaxing.

When she had left her hotel this morning, making her way to the transit station, she hadn't expected to bump into Vergil. Blake didn't think it wise to turn down an offer from someone who's presence made her hair stand on end, leading to an uneventful yet tense airship trip.

While most of her nerves told her it would have been safer to make the journey with the rest of the students, Blake was rather thankful for what happened. Vergil's continued apathy was actually rather calming. Though Blake was used to being looked down on for her Faunus heritage, Vergil didn't seem discriminatory.

It wasn't racism, even with those human comments. More like… how a master looks down on a novice. Blake wasn't worthless to him because of what she was, but rather because she hadn't proven herself, hadn't shown she could learn and grow.

It was refreshing to have a challenge she could actually achieve.

Shaking her heard, Blake turned her attention to the book she'd been gifted, opening it as she walked into her next chapter.

* * *

Marvellous, simply marvellous! Beacon was everything Weiss thought it would be!

The architecture!

The facilities!

The view!

As expected for one of the exalted Huntsmen academies.

"That kid's got a collapsible staff! And she's got a fire sword!"

If only the other students were up to par; of those she'd seen they left her woefully underwhelmed. First vomit boy, now an excitable child, why did such an esteemed institution accept such sub-standard initiates?

Though that was likely the purpose behind initiation, to separate the children from the huntresses.

At least she'd have Pyrrha if no one else was near their level. Though perhaps a famous champion fighter like Pyrrha and a talented heiress such as herself was too high a bar for even the best Beacon initiates.

Oh well. If Beacon had to let in some rabble, Weiss and Pyrrha would easily outshine them. Presuming the rest of the teachers were like Professor Vergil, real Hunters, then they would reward their efforts with more training. Maybe even some one-on-one tutelage. Extra homework assignments!

With their training, she could finally-

Hearing a sudden crash, Weiss whirled her head around to see the young red-clad girl from before collapsed into HER luggage.

"What are you doing!?" Weiss screeched as the red-clad CHILD sat up.

"Uh," the girl confusedly looked at the pile of luggage surrounding her before focusing on Weiss. "Sorry!"

"Sorry?!" Who was this country bumpkin dolt? "Do you have any idea the damage you could have caused?" Weiss asked, talking down to the fallen girl.

"Uuhhhh…" the girl trailed, holding up a case as a peace offering that Weiss quickly snatched.

"Give me that!" Opening the case, Weiss let out a breath at the sight of unshattered bottles of dust inside. "This is Dust, mined and purified from the Schnee quarry!"

"Uhhh…"

"What are you, brain-dead?" Weiss took out a vial, trying to think of a way to explain to this dolt, maybe she didn't understand full sentences. "Dust! Fire, water, lightning, energy!"

"I-", the girl coughed, scrambling to her feet, "I know…" As the red hooded girl broke out into a fit of coughs, Weiss kept ranting, a cloud of dust particles leaking from the bottle she was shaking in her vandal's face.

"Are you even listening to me!?" Couldn't the girl at least explain herself? "Is any of this sinking in? What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"ACHOO!"

Fire, lightning, and maybe a little… Ice? Exploding outwards the elements were raw, uncontrolled, luckily arching upwards not blowing the two girls off the nearby cliff. The bottle of dust flew from Weiss' hand, her aura flaring to mitigate any damage. Brushing off the soot, the heiress wiped clean her eyes before levelling an icy glare at the clumsy fool that nearly killed her.

"UNBELIEVABLE!" Weiss screeched, hands on her hips, lecturing the nervous girl in red who avoided her eyes. "This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!"

"I'm really, REALLY sorry!" The child apologised, risking glances at Weiss' enraged visage, before looking back to her feet.

"Ugh, you complete DOLT!" Weiss leaned forward, forcing the red hooded girl to look at her as she spoke. Now that she got a close look at the girl's soft, cute, features, it was all the more clear how immature she looked. "Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?"

"Well, I-I…" The girl stuttered, unsure how to answer Weiss' admittedly patronising statement, but the heiress wasn't done.

"This isn't your ordinary combat school. It's not just sparring practice, you know!" Did the girl know? Had the teen somehow wandered into Beacon when she should be at some boot camp for the police, learning to deal with petty theft? "We're here to fight monsters, so… watch where you're going!"

Then something strange happened. For a moment, the girl's stunning silver eyes seemed to sharpen, sending a shiver down Weiss' spine. The look was admittedly sabotaged by the girl's visage of childish anger… but those eyes…

"Hey," the girl stepped forward, shoulders set resolutely. "I said I was sorry, princess!"

Spell broken, dimming embers of anger came back to life at the little girl's impudence. Opening her mouth, Weiss was ready to loose another tirade, only for another voice to cut in.

"It's heiress, actually." Looking at their new addition, the girls saw a black-clad girl approach, leather-bound book in one hand and Weiss vial of wayward dust in the other. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

"Finally, some recognition!" It seems Beacon did have some students with brain cells. Weiss smiled smugly; the tide of conversation swelling in her favour. Perhaps now that there were two of them, they could educate this child on what a real-

"The same company infamous for its controversial labour forces and questionable business partners."

"Wha-" Opening and closing her mouth like a fish, Weiss was lost for words. Peripherally, she was aware of the child laughing, only making Weiss blush harder in embarrassment. "How dare- The nerve- Ugh!"

Snatching the vial of dust, Weiss stormed away, leaving her butlers to pick up her luggage and the girls in their squaller. The young one shouted that she'd make it up to her, but that was incredibly unlikely.

Maybe it was childish to just leave. Weiss didn't care though; such people weren't worth her time. After initiation, she never had to see them again!

"You should control that temper."

If Weiss heard that on an average day, she would make their speaker regret ever uttering them. On the most important day of her life doubly so. While angry, embarrassed, and in a generally foul mood? The critic would be lucky to leave with his hearing intact… That is… if the voice didn't cut through Weiss juvenile anger to the core.

"I apologise for the unsightly display," Wiess instinctually bowed her head, turning to the man who spoke.

Leaning against one of forever fall's red-leafed trees like a living portrait was Vergil. Frankly, it was surprising Weiss hadn't noticed him sooner; Vergil's white hair and Blue patterned coat did nothing to blend into the surroundings. Not that it would ever be his intention. Vergil seemed rather unapologetic where he walked, for if he was strong enough to stand somewhere, there was no reason to hide.

Never while he was whole had Vergil ever hidden, a point of pride, no matter how much it cost him...

"Such words are meaningless," Vergil spoke out, not belittling or admonishing, but voicing truth without remorse. "If you allow taunts to cloud your mind, then you give your opponent victory before the first strike."

Not strictly true for one as strong as him, but for a juvenile such as her? Definitely. Vergil could imagine his brother's barbs throwing the princess off-kilter, turning her from warrior to child.

"Thank you for the advice… I shall endeavour to rectify that flaw," Weiss replied, unable to hide her wince. "I look forward to further tutelage as your student."

"As you are now," Vergil's eyes looked through her before he turned to walk down the path. "You are too weak to pass through initiation. See past your training, accept others by your side or fall alone, to monsters who devour countless like you."

Shocked still, Weiss could only watch as her future teacher departed. He… he expected her to fail? No. No, that couldn't be it. It was motivation! Fear of failure to drive students to perform their best. Mollified, Weiss marched her way to the auditorium, ready to prove herself, to show her superiority.

Meanwhile, Vergil didn't care if his message was received or ignored. Some humans in this world could become fine warriors, but in teaching at one of their 'greatest' institutions, it became clear to Vergil they were few and far between.

And while they could become strong, almost none did so in isolation. They required their allies, their teams, as safety nets to catch them each stumble. If Vergil or Dante were ever on such a team, they would only ever hold the demon hunters back. Humans were simply too weak for most to survive the fall without a team to catch them.

If the Schnee girl refused to allow others to save her when training failed against the instinctual heat of battle, then she would perish. A pity that a diamond in the rough would be discarded instead of sharpened to its full potential.

Though if she were unable to overcome her flaws, then perhaps the gem wasn't worth Vergil's attention at all.

Thinking of inadequate students, where was Dante?

* * *

Guilt.

Not a feeling most people would associate with the blonde brawler. Still, unfortunately, it was something Yang was all too familiar with.

At least this time it was something small.

In fact, it was entirely for her sister's own good.

When it really hit Yang that Ruby was coming to Beacon with her, she was over the moon! Maybe it was just her big sister instincts, but Yang much preferred having her sister close, where she could protect her.

Even if that place was an academy where they trained to fight monsters…

Honestly, the venue didn't really bother Yang; Ruby was always heading here. The girl always knew what was right. A born Huntress, no one could convince her otherwise: not her, not Qrow, not Dad.

Not that any of them tried amazingly hard, especially after Ruby struggled through the first year of intensive training meant to discourage her.

But while Yang couldn't be prouder her baby sister made it into Beacon (two years early no less!), something on the ride over nagged at her. A singular fact that had Yang very concerned.

Ruby had no friends.

Sure there was 'the gang' back at Signal, but they barely counted; Ruby treated them more like acquaintances. They talked about weapons, weapon designs, weapon modifications, but where were the sleepovers, the nights out, the crappy teenage romance? Yang had a brief spike of needtopunchsomeone at that last one. A feeling she readily expected but hadn't ever really had before, WHICH WAS THE PROBLEM!

Ruby treated her friends like work buddies, and Yang would swear it wasn't just mistrustful big sister syndrome, but Ruby's friends were just riding on Ruby's hood-tails. The number of times Yang asked Ruby what she was doing to get the answer 'working on one of the gang's designs' was frankly worrying.

With them still at Signal, Yang was willing to bet Ruby forgot about them within a week, and vice versa. Even if they were here, none of them were likely to make it past initiation, judging by how her sister described their hilarious sparing fails. So Ruby would be friendless here either way.

A situation Yang shared.

While the blonde was a social butterfly, she could easily accept that the group she currently ran with weren't going to make it. The difference between Yang and Ruby? Yang could easily make new friends, Ruby… couldn't. She didn't even want to!

So, how does a big sister teach her sibling how to be social? The same way their Dad taught them how to swim, by throwing them in the deep end, with no one around to help. If it worked then, it would definitely work now!

Which only left the nagging guilt of ditching her sister. Hopefully, Ruby could make some friends, see Yang's efforts for the act of pure love they were, forgiving any and all transgressions against her.

…

Yang would probably have to keep an eye on her dust supplies for a few weeks, though her sister would never sabotage her shampoo again, weapons or explosives were fair game. Maybe a purchase of cookies after initiation was in order.

Whatever happened, if Ruby could make one friend, it was worth it. Absolutely.

Taking in a deep breath, an easy smile returned to Yang's face, standing a little taller. The wind picked up, splaying Yang's golden main through the air, catching sunlight like a golden halo.

*Click*

"Huh?" breaking away from the view across the entirety of Vale, Yang noticed she wasn't alone. Having already said goodbye to her friends, bluntly ripping off that bandaid early, the blonde had gone to the cliffs alone to totally not avoid Ruby. Not so alone anymore apparently.

"Sorry!" One of her two new guests, the cute brown haired bunny Faunus with a camera, quickly apologised, rabbit ears drooping slightly as she did. Behind her was another girl, stylish looking with aviator glasses and designer clothes, just smirking. "I-I didn't mean to bother you…"

"No problem," Yang shrugged. Thinking about it, the moment was rather picturesque. Hair flowing in the wind, sun shining down, all of Vale bellow. "Mind taking one for me as well?" The blonde held up her scroll, "would make a great screensaver!"

"Oh, uh, sure."

One stupid pose and a profile update later, the three slid into an easy conversation… at least for two of them did.

"So I'm Yang," the extrovert introduced, holding out her hand. "You guys freshmen too?"

"Coco," the smirking girl replied, shaking Yang's hand while obviously checking the blonde out. "And this cutie is Velvet, we're second years. Love your hair by the way, what products do you use?"

Rattling off her lengthy hair care routine, gently running her hands through the luscious mane, Yang preened under the complement. Coco listened intently, playing with a highlighted stand of her own hair as the two fell into a comfortable back and forth.

"So why are you two here?" Yang cast a smile at Velvet as the bunny Faunus blushed, "special welcome for the newbies?"

"Haha, fraid not," chuckled Coco. "We're just here with a message for a professor."

Opening her mouth, Yang's question of which professor was cut off when the answer flew up from the cliff edge, landing into a nonchalant walk.

"Hey, kids," the man in red lazily saluted before turning to leave.

"Dante?"

"Hey, Teach, catch!" Coco threw a card, spinning it towards Dante who plucked it out of the air, pausing a moment to read it.

…

"I'm going to stab him," Dante said simply before wandering off at a comfortable pace.

"Try not to scare the firsties," called out Coco, receiving a casual wave back in response.

"What was that about?" Yang leant over to the smirking brunette, watching Dante leave.

"Just a message from his brother," explained Velvet.

"He a professor here too?"

"Yep," Coco popped the P.

"Is Dante really going to stab him?"

"Yep."

Well, that was a thing. Yang decided to dismiss the possible future maiming of one of her teachers by his brother; it was probably just a joke. Some kind of long-running prank war. Like how Ruby put fire dust in her boots when Yang ate the last cookie. If huntresses in training did that, what was a little stabbing between trained huntsmen?

Shrugging, Yang turned her attention to her companions, shooting the shy bunny a particularly lovely smile.

"So, any tips for initiation?"

"Not telling firstie," smirked Coco; "can't ruin the surprise!"

"Damn," Yang gave an exaggerated pout, "Dad said the same thing."

Velvet seemed about to say something, maybe break the unspoken rule of keeping the initiation secret to placate the blonde, until Coco placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry, Yang," Coco shared a look of solidarity with her teammate. "It's important that everyone learns the truth of our sadistic headmaster first hand."

Yang laughed at that. Only to slowly cut herself off when Velvet gave a rather convincing shudder. It was a joke… right?

* * *

Ruby Rose: killer of Grimm, youngest Beacon student, eater of cookies and drinker of milk only felt proud of half her titles as she laid on the ground. Defeated.

What great cosmic force had laid low our aspiring Huntress? What ancient Grimm had bested her? What unholy force robbed Ruby of her strength?

Why the power of friendship of course!

Specifically making friendship.

This morning things had been looking up! Kinda…

Sure, saying goodbye to Dad this morning was hard. Tears were shed. Many, hunter tears, with bone-breaking hugs included. THEN THERE WAS ZWEI! His adorable doggy face was heartbreaking, he even climbed into her luggage! But Ruby had talked to him, told their fluffy family corgi that he had to stay to look after Dad. It was an important job that they couldn't entrust to anyone else.

Although their goodbye was filled with sorrow, they would meet again. The first break was what, a few weeks away? Maybe a couple of months… Oh, perhaps they could come to Vale one weekend, Beacon students were allowed to take airships to the city, it would be great!

Beacon students…

SHE WAS GOING TO BEACON!

YES!

RUBY ROSE, HUNTRESS STUDENT, OH YEAH!

Mental cheering had been a regular occurrence for the last couple weeks, often overpowering the trepidation or nervousness of leaving home. It also helped that Yang and Dad kept organising movie nights or days out, each one the 'last hurrah', until the next day's antics.

All this goodwill, high spirits, lasted about three steps onto the airship.

If one were to observe Ruby, one could almost be led to believe she didn't like people, which of course, was not true. Ruby liked people plenty! Yang for one, Dad, Zwei, her crew back at Signal, she knew plenty of people! And... and if she were to talk to one of these airship people, Ruby was certain she would get on with them too!

Only…

What was she meant to do with them all just standing around? Some were on their own, others were chatting, or looking out the window. Was she meant to be chatting? Who was supposed to start? What could Ruby talk about? Weapons? Would they want to talk about weapons?

Shrinking into her trademark red cloak, the young huntress' mind kept running away. Wait! What was Yang doing? Ruby could just copy her socially capable sister! Who was just… standing there. Completely relaxed, just chilling, as if they weren't on the edge of a life-changing event surrounded by strangers.

Ruby could relax. Definitely. Just stand here… and… relax…

Noticing her sister utterly failing to keep still managed to get Yang's attention. The more confident teen pulled Ruby into another lung-squeezing hug, saying how she still couldn't believe her baby sister was going to Beacon with her! Going on to say how everyone was going to think she was the bee's knees for getting in two years early.

That was precisely what Ruby in NO WAY wanted. She didn't want people to think she was the bee's knees, Ruby just wanted to be a normal girl, with normal knees! What if people thought she was special just because Ruby managed to disrupt a dust robbery, where the chief robber, Roman Torchwick, still got away! It would make making friends even harder! They would put her on a pedestal, like a really high one, and she wasn't as tall as Yang.

How would she get down? A ladder? A really long, metaphorical ladder. Those had to be rare. Even if they weren't, how was Ruby supposed to get a conceptual ladder for a situation she didn't understand, or want to be in, or really know anything about? Why couldn't Ruby just get to be a normal girl, who made lifelong friends the normal way?

Which Ruby guessed was… talking?

Seemingly sensing her sister's distress, Yang tried to placate her sister, saying she was special. Something Ruby was always told, but she always presumed that family was meant to say that, not that it was meant to be true!

A news broadcast about Torchwick and White Fang Faunus protests was a welcome distraction from her thoughts. Followed by a welcome message from professor Goodwitch, Ruby mind was almost taken off the soul-crushing dread of social interactions.

Seeing Signal, the academy she was meant to be attending again this year, helped. Home… wasn't too far away. Though like Yang said, Beacon was her home now, filled with all new people to meet. Between the view and a sisterly embrace, it was a beautiful moment while it lasted.

Sadly, the view wasn't for everyone, as a blonde boy threw up, right onto Yang's shoes! Which was gross, yet definitely distracting as Ruby shouted at her sister to get her vomit-covered shoes away from her. But all, well not good things but, all stuff must come to an end eventually, and the airship had to reach Beacon.

It was like a parade of wondrous weapons, a collapsible staff, a fire sword! Then Yang had to ruin it.

Not ruin it in a, 'hey, I'm Yang, and I just made a terrible pun', ruined it instead in a, 'Hey Ruby, you can't just hang around me all day, you have to talk to new people', way!

What did being a huntress have to do with talking to people anyway? Even Dad told her not to speak to any boys, ever, under any circumstances! Especially if they're tall.

Meeting people had nothing to do with fighting monsters!

But Yang just ran off! Left Ruby spinning, with no idea if they had to go to their dorms, if they had dorms, where the dorms could be. Then she EXPLODED!

Well, actually she fell on some girl's luggage, who then yelled at her, then she sneezed, EXPLOSION, followed by book girl talking down to snob girl. Then one of them stormed away while the other just left without a word... None of which would have happened if Yang hadn't run off so fast it sent Ruby LITERALLY SPINNING!

"Welcome to Beacon I guess…" Ruby mumbled to herself, languishing in a heap on the floor.

"Hey," a voice cut through Ruby's melancholy, silver eyes blinking over to see a blonde boy standing over her, offering his hand. "I'm Jaune."

"Ruby." She replied, taking his hand, offering a smile as he helped her up. Looking at him, Ruby felt faint recognition as she scanned over him. Sword on his belt, pretty tall, blonde hair, blue eyes, black hoodie under white armour… "Aren't you the guy that threw up on the ship?"

Turns out he was, which had Jaune giving a dozen quickfire excuses as they walked down one of Beacon's many curving pathways.

"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on!"

"Look, I'm sorry!" Giggled Ruby, feeling the teensiest bit bad. "Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind."

"Oh, yeah?" Jaune shot back, arching an eyebrow. "What if I called you crater face?"

"Hey, THAT EXPLOSION WAS AN ACCIDENT!"

"Well," the boy continued, "my name is Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it!"

"Do they?" Ruby's eyes narrowed, sceptically. If his name was like Moon Slicer, or Crescent Rose, or Blade Breaker, Ruby could understand. But what did ladies love about Jaune Arc? It was okay, she guessed, but not something breathtakingly AWESOME!

"They will!" Jaune quickly replied, "Well, I-I hope they will. My Mom always says that… never mind."

Ruby giggled again at that. Then, something terrible happened, unbelievably disastrous… An awkward silence.

Should she talk first? Jaune spoke last so was it his responsibility to break it? Wait, what was the first thing Ruby could possibly talk about with another Hunter in-

"So I got this thing." Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose almost casually, the tip of her beloved giant red/black sniper scythe easily smashing through the stone pavement.

"Whoa!" The blonde jumped back a bit, "is that a scythe?"

"It's also a high calibre, customisable sniper rifle, geared for high impact shots," a voice piped up behind them.

"A wha…?"

"It's also a gun," clarified Ruby, cocking her sniper before realising they had a third member. "DANTE!"

"Hey kiddo," the legendary demon hunter waved as he sauntered down the path. "Showing your weapon to your friends on the first day of school, heh?"

"Well I, just thought it would be a good… talking point… I guess… kinda?"

"Fair enough," the older hunter smirked. "Jaune right? I'm Dante," he introduced, offering a hand for Jaune to shake which he did just a tad too quickly. "While we're on show and tell, what's your choice of demon-slaying style?"

"Oh! I uh…" Jaune fumbled a bit before unsheathing his weapon. "I've got this sword!"

"Oooooh!" Ruby's eyes seemed to sparkle as they traced the length of his blade.

"Yeah," Jaune continued with growing confidence. "I've got a shield too!" Jaune's scabbard expanded, creating the aforementioned shield, mostly white with gold upper trim and coat of arms.

"So, what does it do?" Ruby asked, tracing her hand across the expanded metal.

"Yeah, does it explode?" Dante chimed in, rubbing his chin scruff.

"OR SHOOT LASER BEAMS!"

"Well-" Jaune fumbled the shield again as it nearly sprang out of his hands, just barely catching it, before grinning embarrassedly at his audience. "The shield gets smaller, so when I get tired of carrying it, I can just… put it away…"

"But…" Ruby tilted her head, "wouldn't it weigh the same?"

"Yeah, It does…" muttered Jaune, dropping his head as he got another giggle from the red-clad Huntress.

"Mind if I give it a few swings?" Interjected Dante, receiving a bewildered nod from Jaune who handed over his weapon.

"Sure, but it's really not that impressive, it's just a normal swor-"

Whatever Jaune was going to say was cut off as Dante went from twirling his sword to wind whooshing slashes. Dozens of powerful swipes and thrusts created a miniature storm of steel. Ruby's cloak fluttered wildly as Dante danced with the blade, throwing attack after attack towards a nearby tree without ever touching it.

Finishing off the tornado of strikes with a shield bash, both teens watched slack-jawed as the tree in front of Dante shattered. Nothing but a stump remained as splintered chunks of wood flew through the air.

"Pretty well balanced," Dante sheathed the sword, with a smirk.

"Y-yeah," a wide-eyed Jaune replied, staring at his sword, then back to Dante, then back to his sword.

"That. Was. AWESOME!"

"It's a good sword," shrugged Dante as Ruby fangirled. "Your scythe looks pretty sharp too."

"Hehe," Ruby giggled, hugging Crescent Rose to her chest. "Well, I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons, so… I might have gone a little overboard when designing it."

"Wait," Jaune interjected, finally looking away from his sword. "You made that?"

"Of course!" The young Huntress puffed out her chest a bit, "all students at Signal forge their own weapons! Didn't you make yours?"

"It's a hand me down," Jaune looked at his sword less wistfully. "My great-great-grandfather used it to fight the war."

"Sounds more like a family heirloom to me!" Ruby chuckled.

"So was mine for the longest time," Dante chimed in, continuing at his future student's curious looks. "Me and my brother used my Dad's old swords most of our lives. Course, mine broke, but I used it to help make my new one."

Holding out his hand, a ridiculously large sword flamed into existence, as tall as Dante himself, yet still held in one hand. The sword itself had a metal edge that went to a rock-like body, like cooled lava, still hot to the touch. Four talons formed the guard, with a large red gem in the pommel, giving the whole blade a truly demonic look.

For a moment the two would be students just starred.

"OMYGODHOWDIDITJUSTAPPEARLIKETHAT! WHATCANITDO? WHEREDIDITAPPEARFROM? CANITDISSSAPPEARTOO? WHAT'STHATWEIRDROCKDOWNTHEMIDDLE? HOWDIDYOUMAKEIT? WHAT'STHEBIGGESTTHINGYOU'VEEVERKILLEDWITHIT? CANITOUCHITPLEEEEEEEAAAASSSSEEEE!?"

"Just something I can do. Lots of things. Nowhere I guess. Yep. No idea. Painfully. A really evil tree. Sure," Dante answered, casually throwing his devil sword to the young red Huntress.

"Oof!"

...Only for Ruby to immediately fall down under its weight. To the girl's credit, she did struggle back up, years of swinging around a giant scythe letting her lift the massive blade. While Ruby looked over the entire sword, her focus eventually rested on the rocky centre. Running her hands along the warm stone, her mind scrambled for how it could possibly work.

Solid fire dust core? No; fire dust wasn't warm until ignited. Maybe a continuously fed ignition system controlled by the handle? But there was no button she could see, and running it constantly would cost a fortune!

Whining as the sword disappeared in a burst of embers, Ruby gave a puppy dog look to Dante that he denied with a smirk.

"Anyway," the red coat hunter turned to Jaune. "Love the sword shield combo. A lot of kids these days just shove guns into their weapons, no appreciation for a classic sword."

"Yeah…" Jaune trailed off, "the classics…"

"I DIDN'T JUST SHOVE A GUN INTO CRESCENT ROSE!" Ruby interjected, "and I appreciate the classics too. I like Jaune's sword. Its got good… length?"

"Hehe, whatever you say red," smirked Dante. "How'd you two meet anyway?"

"Oh, Jaune helped me after I exploded in the courtyard," Ruby blinked for a moment before looking at the blonde in question. "Why'd you help me out back there anyway?"

"Eh, why not?" Jaune replied as the three started walking again, earning an approving nod from Dante. "My Mom always says, 'strangers are just friends you haven't met yet'."

"Wise words," commented Dante, "a bit optimistic as my brother would say, but wise… Speaking of which, have you two seen another professor. Looks like me in black and blue, slightly less handsome, carries around a Katana."

"No..."

"Nope," Ruby replied, popping the P. "Is he your brother? Like a twin? Do you need to talk to him about something?"

"Yeah, he's my brother," Dante waved off. "But don't worry about it; I'll just stab him later."

…

"He's joking," Jaune whispered to Ruby as they kept ambling along the path. "Right?"

Ruby just shrugged in response, then frowned, looking around. "Hey, where are we going?"

"Oh, I don't know," Jaune rubbed his neck nervously. "I was following you. Y-you think there might be a directory? Maybe a food court? Some kind of recognisable landmark?" That got Ruby giggling, "is, uh… is that a no?"

"That's a no."

"If you two are wondering where you need to go for Ozpin's speech thing," interjected Dante from in front of them, not even looking back. "You might want to follow the guy who works for the sadist."

* * *

By the time they arrived, following Dante at his own lacklustre pace, the orientation auditorium was already filled. Worst of all, Dante had refused to let her see his other weapons, or touch his sword again! No amount of begging got Dante to pull out those two pistols she'd seen on the night of the robbery, or the rocket launcher…

Thinking about it, did all of his weapons just disappear and reappear? Dante didn't seem to have very deep pockets for ammo, let alone artillery… Could he have even more weapons? What could they be? A buzzsaw axe that exploded? A three-pronged dust powered nunchuck? A super rocket launcher?

Dante also refused to tell Jaune what the initiation was. That didn't really surprise Ruby though; Uncle Qrow and Dad were the same. A big (unwritten) rule of Beacon graduates was not telling freshmen what initiation was, no matter how much strawberry milkshake they were bribed with…

Ruby didn't really mind. Initiation didn't concern her; it was just time for her and her sweetheart, Crescent Rose, to shine! Now if only she managed to get how partners were picked out of someone, she could guarantee partnering up with Yang and avoid all that 'meeting people'... stuff… yea…

"Ruby, over here!" Speaking of Yang, "I saved you a spot!"

"Hey, I-I gotta go!" Ruby told her male companions, gesturing over to the blonde brawler waving at her. "I'll see you after the ceremony!"

"Hey, wait!" Jaune tried to say, only to realise Ruby had already sped away, "ah, great. Where am I supposed to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to?"

"Look too hard and you'll miss one," Dante patted the hopeless blonde on the back, seeing a rather lonely red-haired gladiator mere paces away. Ah well, he'd get wise eventually. "Anyway, I spy a perfectly stabbable face that I've been looking forward to seeing."

"Isn't that your face too though?" Jaune's question landed of deaf ears as Dante strolled towards the stage where the other educators had gathered. A single microphone stood in the middle with professors lining the back, judging their new crowd of students. Port was there, Glynda, and more importantly, Vergil.

Back in the crowd, Yang gave her sister a quick once over as she approached, making sure Ruby was okay. Four limbs, un-ripped clothes, giant scythe, Yang let out a breath she didn't know she was holding; Ruby was fine.

"How's your first day going, little sister?" Asked the jovial blonde as Ruby crossed her arms, adorably glaring at her.

"You mean since you ditched me and I EXPLODED!"

"Yikes!" Yang grimaced a bit; maybe her perfectly executed plan wasn't a good idea. "Meltdown already?"

"NO!" Ruby stomped in reply. "I LITERALLY exploded a hole in the front of the school! And there was some fire, and I think some ice…?"

Oh thank god Ruby was joking, Yang smiled broadly. "Are you being sarcastic?"

"I wish!" Scoffed Ruby. "I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage, and then she yelled at me, and then I sneezed, and then I EXPLODED, and then she yelled at me again, and I felt really, REALLY bad, and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me!"

"YOU!"

"Oh, God," Ruby fled into her sister's arms, "it's happening again!"

Weiss had been enjoying her wait for the faculty's speech, anticipating the wise words of her highly qualified professors. Waiting to feast on whatever nuggets of information they were willing to part with before invitation.

Though her eyes, like most of the crowd, were drawn towards what seemed like a scuffle at the back of the stage.

It looked like one of the faculty was trying to attack another professor, with deputy headmistress Goodwitch stopping him. The strict looking woman seemed to quickly move, blocking the man in red Hunter from even looking at his target who was...Vergil!

Weiss chuckled; how looks could be so deceiving. Thinking it through for more than a second, why would a professor, a cheerful looking one at that, attack another academic? He wouldn't. It would be the height of unprofessionalism, especially in front of so many prospective students.

Obviously, this red-clad hunter must simply be a passionate man, pitching an idea to his fellow faculty. Perhaps a demonstration? Vergil, being an immensely powerful hunter, would be an obvious pick for such a thing. Meanwhile, professor Goodwitch was trying to keep the red-clad man to the allocated time table.

From Weiss' research, she found that it was a sad fact, that many experts in their fields were oblivious in other areas. Like scheduling. It must be especially tricky at Beacon with all the hunters at the top of their field. The task of keeping them on track must be like herding cats! Thank dust there was Headmaster Ozpin and Deputy Headmistress Goodwitch to keep teachers at the apex of the hunting world on schedule.

It allowed them to have both the best teachers in the kingdom and a punctual time table. A perfect combination. Weiss could not wait to see what red-clad professor on stage was going to teach. Not to mention professor Vergil, Goodwitch, Ozpin…

Weiss couldn't wait to be in any of Beacon's lecture halls really.

Sadly, the white-themed Huntress in training had her musings interrupted by a familiar-sounding babbling next to her.

It couldn't be… Weiss' luck wasn't that bad… Oh dust, it was her! The red dolt who was lucky they both "WEREN'T BLOWN OFF THE SIDE OF THE CLIFF!"

"Oh my God, you really exploded," the blonde looked horrified at the red child who had kept into her arms.

Clearly, this other student hadn't believed that an immature child had nearly killed two students already. Who would? What kind of DOLT would do that!

"It was an accident," the red girl tried to defend, untangling herself from the blonde, turning to Weiss. "It was an accident!"

Taking a deep breath, Weiss calmed herself down; she wasn't going to deal with this like...he would. All she had to do was somehow explain to this child the dangers of playing around with dust.

Wait! She had pamphlets for that!

The red girl jumped as Weiss' hand shot out, decade rehearsed speech on her tongue, holding a leaflet perfect for the redette.

Dust for dummies.

"What's… this?"

Inhale mentally and…

"The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company product- Although not mandatory the Schnee Family highly encourages their customers to read and familiarise themselves with this easy to follow guide to Dust applications and practices in the field." THAT EVEN A CHILD COULD UNDERSTAND.

"Uuuhhh," silver eyes flicked between Weiss' face and her hand, forcing the heiress to restrain herself from lashing out.

"You really wanna start making things up to me?" Asked Weiss with a deep breath.

"Absolutely," replied the young girl immediately.

"Read this," Weiss shoved the pamphlet into the other girl's hands, "and don't ever speak to me again."

"Look, uh," Weiss tried to calm down as her eyes flicked to the will haired blonde woman who looked with sympathy at both her and the redette. "It sounds like you two just got off on the wrong foot. Why don't you start over and try to be friends, okay?"

Poor woman, if only she knew what this child was like, the blonde wouldn't be interceding then. Only a child would think you could just start over and-

"Yeah! Great idea, sis!" Oh for dust's sake! "Hello, Weiss! I'm Ruby! Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies!"

"Yeah!" Weiss nodded enthusiastically, clapping her hands together "We can paint our nails, try on clothes, and talk about cute boys! Like tall, blonde and straggly over there," the heiress gestured towards Jaune in the distance.

"Wow, really!?"

...

"...No." Weiss glared, did this girl not understand subtext, sarcasm, or basic human decency!

Feedback from a microphone cut off the girls' next exchange, bringing their attention to the headmaster on the stage…

That said…

Lodged in the wall behind the headmaster was a gigantic sword that certainly drew the eye. Glancing at the man in red, Weiss saw him encircled by half a dozen glyphs of Glynda Goodwitch's design. The man gave her and the rest of the crowd a little, arms bound, wave, even as the blonde headmistress glared at him (possibly tightening her semblance around him).

…

Hunters really are crazy.

"I'll keep this brief…" Ozpin's deliberate cadence brought Weiss' attention back to where it mattered. "You have travelled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people." Yes, preened Weiss, standing a little taller. "But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy," what? "In need of purpose, direction," whispers broke out in the crowd. "You assumed knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

Wow. The professors at Beacon really wanted to weed out the weak and motivate those with real determination. First professor Vergil, now Headmaster Ozpin, Weiss was in awe of their methods to drive students to show their full potential.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins." Glynda whirled mid-sentence to glare at the hunter in red, who did his best to look innocent, though his smirk betrayed him. The headmistress' semblance wrapped around him again, replacing the bonds he had apparently broken out of, moving him forcefully away from Vergil. "Be ready," ground out Glynda, glaring back to the crowd. "You are dismissed."

The headmistress immediately went back to Vergil and the man in red, trading words that led to a shrug from the bound man. Without any apparent effort, the man walked away from Vergil, shattering Glynda's glyphs with his first step. Weiss' eyes darted back to where the man's sword was buried in the wall, only to gasp as it was gone! When had he…?

Weiss shook her head, allowing a small smile on her lips; coming to Beacon was the right idea. One the triviality of initiation was over, the things she would learn… The mere conjecture had Weiss' mood soaring!

"I'm a natural blonde you know," the straggly boy Weiss had pointed at before interjected.

NO WEISS, YOU CAN'T STAB OTHER STUDENTS!

Breathing deeply through her nose, Weiss walked away from the 'natural blonde' without a word. After tomorrow, she would never have to see him again, so why waste time with him now?

* * *

"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang crashed down on her sleeping bag, landing next to her precious little Ruby.

The two, like most students, had changed into their sleeping attire. Yang in a yellow tank top and black shorts, while Ruby wore a black tank top with rose-covered leggings.

"I don't think Dad would approve of all the boys though," replied Ruby.

"I know I do," purred Yang, eyes scanning over the gathering of possible future classmates. There were shirtless boys, scantily clad girls, and… Jaune in a wunzy. Grrrr, Yang shuddered out a groan, turning her attention back to Ruby. "What's that?"

"A letter to the gang back at Signal" replied Ruby, finally looking up from her writing. "I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going."

More like they wanted to know what to expect in a couple of years, get some insider information so it would be easier for them. Yang repressed a frown, remembering that it would be a non-issue in a couple of weeks. For now, she needed to be supportive, that weird speech from Ozpin earlier was… kind of... off? The quiet mumbling of the students around the hall was telling, Yang could feel it too.

The thrum.

The growing drumbeat, leading into whatever initiation was tomorrow. Typically, you get this many teens in their prime in one room you'd have a rave of a time, even with it being a big day tomorrow. At least you would with the crowd Yang ran with, but even they were quiet. Ruby wasn't showing it, but Yang was sure the little weapon nut felt it too, instinctually if nothing else.

So, how does one distract a girl from the growing tension whimsically without them noticing?

"Aw! That's so cuuuuttee-" A ballistic pillow slammed into Yang's face mid tease.

"Shut up!" Growled Ruby rather adorably. "I didn't get to take my friends with me to school! It's weird not knowing anyone here!"

The way Ruby looked away genuinely broke Yang's heart.

"What about Jaune?" Yang pointed out. "He's… nice! There you go! Plus one friend! That's a hundred percent increase!"

"Pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend," Ruby mumbled, turning back to her letter. "Back to zero…"

"There's no such thing as negative friends!" Interjected Yang, before things got too sombre, "you just made one friend and one enemy!" Another pillow shot into Yang's face, smooth Yang. "Look," Yang lowered her voice, trying for some uncharacteristic wisdom. "It's only been one day. Trust me; you've got friends all around you! You just haven't met them yet."

Yang would make sure of it.

The two were broken from their musings by the striking of a match. Soft light illuminated its source, a black-haired girl in a grey kimono, reading by candlelight.

"That girl…"

"You know her?" Yang asked.

"Not really," Ruby explained. "She saw what happened this morning, but left before I could say anything."

"Well," Yang smirked widely, pulling Ruby up towards the new girl. "Now's your chance!"

"Wait!" Ruby admirably tried to pull back, though her efforts were in vain against her sister's superior muscles. "What are you doing?!"

"Getting you up to two friends and one enemy!"

* * *

'There had to be a message behind this', Blake thought, flicking to the next page of her rather engaging book. A written battle between two distinct souls in a body that could only host one.

The academic: intelligent, loyal, constrained. Yearning for freedom, chained by a reputation he dreamed of tarnishing, respected by all amongst the community. Someone who was right, charitable, and held fast in the zealotry of his beliefs. At least, that's what others saw. There was a dangerous contrast in the image of the man, compared to what desires were held beneath.

Then there was the beast: a self-serving, selfish, destructive brute. Angry, uncaringly detached from his peers, acting without caring or remorse for those affected by his actions. A man of energy, burning through the world, leaving those he broke in his wake. But… there was still fear in the beast. A terror of consequence. The dread of the retribution of his actions finally falling upon him.

...There were a few too many things that resonated in this story for it to be an accident. Why had Vergil given this? Was it a warning of some kind? How did it end?

Those were just a few of the questions that flittered around at the back of the hidden Faunus' brain as she flicked to the next page. Unfortunately, Blake's bow twitched, soft footfalls were accelerating towards her haven. Peering over, it appeared that buxom blonde with a massive mane of hair was dragging another girl towards her.

"Hel-looooo!" Sang the blonde, letting go of the other girl who immediately looked away. "I believe you two may know each other?"

Looking at the smaller girl, a ping of familiarity did flicker through her mind.

"Aren't you… that girl that exploded?"

"Uh, yeah, my name's Ruby!" The girl offered her hand but dropped it when Blake didn't reach for it, eyes dropping down to her book then back to the girl, trying to convey her disinterest. "But you can just call me crafter… Actually, you can just call me Ruby."

"Okay." Blake didn't even look up from her book.

"...What are you doing?" Whispered the blonde to her sister, Blake's bow twitching as she picked up the girls' 'private' conversation.

"I don't know, HELP ME!" Ruby whisper-shouted back, before offering Blake a smile that was promptly ignored.

Maybe if she ignored them, they would go away.

"So..." It was worth a try. "What's your name?"

"Blake."

"Well, Blake, I'm Yang!" The blonde pointed to herself, giving off an energy Blake really didn't think helped the teens trying to sleep. "Ruby's older sister! ...I like your bow!"

"Thanks," Blake ground out.

"It goes well with your… pyjamas!"

"Right…" did this blonde know how to take a hint?

"Nice night," apparently not, "don't you think?"

"Yes, it's lovely!" Blake's voice dripped with sarcasm before turning her attention to the sisters. "Almost as lovely as this book!" The two just stood there, "...that I will continue to read." Still standing, "... as soon as you leave!"

"Yeah, this girl's a lost cause." FINALLY! The blonde got the message-

"What's it about?"

"Huh?" Blake blinked at Ruby.

"Your book," the silver-eyed girl continued, seemingly calmer than Blake had ever seen her. "Does it have a name?"

"Well…" actually… no; the cover was so worn that Blake had no clue who even the author was. Just another mystery stacked on top of why she was given this book… "I-it's about a man, with two souls, each fighting for control over his body."

"Oh yeah…" the blond sarcastically drawled as Blake's eyes narrowed at her. "That's real lovely!

"I love books," Ruby spoke before Blake could reprimand her sister. "Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters… They're one of the reasons I want to be a huntress!"

Well, that's one point in the blondes favour, Blake couldn't repress a chuckle before replying. "And why is that? Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"

"Well, I'm hoping we all will." That sounded… genuine, Blake blinked, book forgotten. "As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books… Someone who fought for what was right and protected people who couldn't protect themselves!"

"That's… very ambitious for a child." Blake's smile dropped into a frown as she continued. "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale."

"Well... that's why we're here! To make it better." Ruby's confidence killed Blake's reply before it could be voiced; could it be that easy? For a moment… Blake thought it just might be.

"Ohhh!" Then Yang ruined it. "I'm so proud of my baby sister!"

The blonde brawler grappled Ruby into a crushing embrace, lifting the poor girl into the air as she kicked out helplessly.

"Cut it out!" Ruby landed a solid punch to her sister's face, the two descending disastrously quickly into an all-out brawl.

Given how neither actually hit the ground as they clambered and combated each other in, seemingly well-practised, sibling battle. Still, as genuinely riveting it was to see Ruby escape a headlock then force Yang onto one leg as she lifted the other… Was that a flip? Chuckling, Blake couldn't help but smile at the squabbling sisters.

"Well," Blake started, despite being somewhat ignored. "Ruby, Yang, it's a pleasure to ha-"

"WHAT in the world is going on over here!?" Newly arrived in a pale blue nightdress that probably cost more than everything Blake had, Weiss Schnee stomped her way onto the scene. "Don't you realise some of us are trying to sleep?"

Wow… Blake actually agreed with a Schnee. What a day this was. While Blake had warmed up to the sisters' rambunctious behaviour, it was rather late…

For a fraction of a second, Yang and Weiss' eyes widened upon seeing each other, "OH, NOT YOU AGAIN!" Both girls shouted in perfect unison.

"Shh!" Ruby interjected, seemingly the new voice of reason, which to Blake seemed somewhat strange. "Guys, she's right. People are trying to sleep!"

"Oh!" Scoffed the Schnee heiress, "now you're on my side?" Typical Schnee.

"I was always on your side!"

"Yeah!" Yang joined in, "what's your problem with my sister? She's only trying to be nice!"

"She's a hazard to my health!"

For the briefest of moments, Blake could have sworn Yang's eyes flashed red, making her hair stand on end and body stiffen.

Must have been a trick of the light…Yeah… Probably just tired...

Relaxing, Blake rolled her eyes at the Heiress' latest proclamation, realising that tonight's reading time had passed she closed her book. Grabbing her candle, one quick blow enveloped her surroundings in darkness. Hopefully, that would get the arguing trio to stop too-

An explosion rattled the chandeliers, vibrating the very floor beneath Blake with its sheer strength. It was practically an earthquake!

Striking another match, Blake traded looks with the other startled girls before they turned to the ballroom doors like the rest of the students. Whatever that was, it had to be close...

Testament to the heiress' integrity, she wasn't far behind the others who dashed through the door.

Ruby was first through the door, muttering a quiet ow as she hit a wall, unable to throttle her speed in the dark.

Chasing behind was Yang and Blake, rushing to follow the younger girl, just in front of the bustle of other students. From the quick glance Blake had before they dashed out, many hadn't bothered to get up to investigate. The deep sleepers she could almost understand, but the ones who decided to stay behind? Blake couldn't help but wonder why they were even trying to become Huntresses.

Turning another corner, ahead was a pair of doors, both barely hanging on their hinges. This had to be where-

"What are you all doing out of bed!?"

Freezing, every student didn't move for a second, even Ruby within arms reach of the door. Slowly turning, they were all greeted by the award-winning glare of Glynda Goodwitch, radiating toe-tapping rage.

"Well?" The headmistress' eyes narrowed a fraction further, a few stuttering students stumbling out a response until they a resounding BANG had them jumping out of their skin.

"Oops." The red-clad hunter's voice was unapologetic as he walked over the collapsed door, scowling Vergil in tow. "Hey kids, what are you all doing sneaking about at night?"

"Apparently," Glynda growled out, glaring daggers into the brothers (at least the students were spared now). "Your usual squabbling was loud enough to wake them along with half of Vale."

Vergil didn't deem that with a response, just stalking past the pack of spectators, parting them with a cold stare.

"Don't worry about him," the man in red's easy smirk seemed to put a lot of the teens at ease. "He's just a little sore after losing another spar. Putting me in a two-point lead, right Vergil?"

What? Blake's amber eyes widened at that, eyes flicking between the man in red and the terror-inducing hunter who got her here. Vergil… lost? Although Blake had never seen him fight, something about Vergil just made the idea seem… implausible?

"Rest on your laurels while you can, Dante," Vergil's cold voice cut across the room, sending shivers down her spine. "They won't last."

"You mean the fact that you lost and that I won, meaning that you're losing even worse than before right? Just to be clear."

If looks could kill, then Vergil's glare would cause a bloodbath, rivalling Glynda in the vital tournament of murderous gazes. Though, it was realising Vergil's hand was on his sword that made Blake take in a sharp intake of breath. Hearing a similar gasp next to her, Blake's eyes saw a similarly terrified heiress, who like her quickly started looking for escape routes.

With Dante at the door and Vergil the other side of them, it wasn't looking good. While Blake didn't have a good feel for what the red-clad hunter could do if he could beat Vergil then dare to brag…

Could they break through the walls to escape as Vergil went for Dante's throat?

"That's enough the two of you," cut in headmistress Goodwitch, standing purposefully between the brothers. "Students return to bed, you should get some rest before initiation," her voice left no room for argument. "As for you two. Go to sleep. If you start another fight before the examination, I will personally make sure you're unable to view it at all."

"Okay, okay," Dante waved off Glynda's stern tone, somewhat playfully. "I could go for a relaxing evening to enjoy my victory."

"Then I'll make sure to revel in mine tomorrow, Dante," Vergil spoke it as fact before stalking away, followed by a sauntering Dante.

"Back to the ballroom, all of you" Glynda adjusted her glasses, levelling her stern stare at the students now that the troublesome professors were gone. "I'm sure you know the way. I'll be personally checking that none of you are out of your beds after I'm done repairing the damage to our school. Any rule breaking will be punished. Severely."

That sent students scattering, but before Blake followed, she gave a glance through the broken doors, catching a glimpse of her professors' battleground.

...There were craters like there had been a meteor shower, and… well… more damage than Blake expected. How had the two of them walked so easily away from what definitely didn't look like a friendly spar? Just what was she getting into at this crazy school?


	5. Chapter 5: A Journey of a Thousand Miles

**AUTHOR NOTE**

** There's now a pay tree on at slash ****EastboundTraveller, I can't put the website name but please know that this is not a pay subscription model. All my fics are free, always will be, and donations are just that, donations. For more info, look for the snail.**

**Like always, none of the stuff in bold is edited, be warned.**

**So, elephant in the room, this is a snail:**

**SNAIL**

**For those who don't want to read why there's a ****pay tree on**** now, please skip to the next snail, though reading this would probably take less time than it took me to add that snail.**

**So due to a current event that I control F4'd every mention of and replaced with the first thought that came to my mind, I am without job. I by no means think that anyone should give their hard earned money to some random guy on , especially with the 'weasel rebellion' making things hard on everyone at the moment. 'Interpretive dance' is a world wide problem and there is certainly people worse off than I am, my heart goes out to every affected by 'sky lasers' and wish them all the best. That said, if anyone wishes to throw me some spare change, I could not thank you enough. If you have spare change, but don't wish to give it to some idiot on the internet, I encourage you to give some money to any of the 'space whale' charities during this time where 'tangled headphone wires' is affecting us all.**

**SNAIL**

**Anyway, with that uncharacteristically serious paragraph out of the way:**

**MY WORD!**

**"The 5th chapter posted on the day the story gets 500 follows! This must be a ****conspiracy."**

_**"More like you were just too much in your head to post back in June like you had planned, you fool!"**_

_**"**_**To be fair, planning for season 3 had to happen!"**

_***Facepalm* "You're barely a quarter the way through season 1!"**_

**"But now I know what will happen between season 2 and 4 which i had already planned."**

_**"Why did you even plan season 4 before season 3-? You know what, I give up. Bet you don't get the next chapter in by the end of August."**_

**"I'll show you...probably..."**

**:)**

**So, here we are. This entire chapter was meant to be part of the last chapter buuuuut, I couldn't fit it in. Here is now though! Still clinging a bit close to cannon events for now... soon though... soon...**

**SO, onto the replies, return of the 2AM unedited ramblings:**

**loligang: While the idea of a team could be cool, I'm afraid the brothers will be without for now. Though i do love Neo, don't worry, she and Roman will have a growing part when they're back in the story. Parts which may or may not grow as this goes past season 3. And don't worry, I'm aware Dante and especially Vergil aren't standard heroes, if they decide to appose the wicked witch of the west, it will be for their own reasons, petty or otherwise. As for changing up the story... tis like a butterflies wings. Though there may be little change now, those wing beats may become tornadoes as the wind builds.**

**As for Dante's weapons, He will have what he had in DMC5, as that's what he had on him when he and Vergil went to hell. There's actually a canonical reason he didn't have them, which I will mention in 6 or so chapters.**

**dovah117: Well, Vergil and Dante don't hold back too much in a 'friendly fight' anyway :). Devil triggers are a while off, no plans for Nero coming in, though if he did it would be in the super late game of rwby, like past the Vacuo arc. Demons... :)**

**FerunaLutelou: I'm aware of Remnant's internet equivalent, but I like to imagine Ozpin changes up initiation a bit every few years to keep things fresh, catch new students off guard. Not to mention, it's not unreasonable to get students to sign a nondisclosure agreement about the academies testing criteria. As for students not being surprised, at that point, they were on a cliff, standing on launch pads, it was pretty self evident. You are right though, it's the absurdity that's important.**

**Reddevil47: We should all feel sorry for Glynda ever since the brothers started teaching there. It's like having near daily fights between Winter and Qrow, but usually worse.**

**Darkmaster10000000: The former might get some help, the latter will likely be far worse.**

**XenoBlaze: The professors tend to go by their first names, either to avoid confusion, or just because they're more than their father. What they teach will be revealed after initiation... as for devil arms... Who knows... :)**

**Guest chapter 1 May 11th: 2 things. One, Dante jumped into the portal with only his DMC5 stuff, so he doesn't have other weapons on him, they could well be back at his home. Two, there's actually a canonical reason why they aren't back at his home, which i will comment on in about 6 chapters.**

**Guest chapter 4 May 11th: If Nero and co do come in, it will either be in flashbacks or in EXTREMELY late game rwby. Like beyond the Vacuo arc late.**

**YeTianshi: Thank you, hopefully now that I know what's happening for chapters 3-6 I can put this out faster. I'll probably fail but let's hope!**

**Sm0keyPanda: Now you don't have to wait! :)**

**Noe Magdiel Gonzalez Ramirez: Thank you babe, love you too.**

**It is ON: I will try, I will likely fail XD Thank you for the support.**

**Red Dusk 369: Thank you, it's hard to write a visual seen (picture is a thousand words all that jazz) but I try. As for power scaling, thank you for noticing. Glynda isn't week, she can grab one of the brothers, stop them briefly, but they are too strong to hold. It's like dead lifting a heavy weight. You can lift it, but holding it there gets painfully hard. Then imagine the weight started pulling down on it's own will. It's a strange metaphor but I think it works.**

**blazerforce: They are ridiculous people even amongst the ridiculous groups known as Huntsmen.**

**Neb: Why not both? Or neither? Or somewhere inbetween? :)**

**Chrome Fate: Now it's back again. Only 1 month late this time!**

**ShadowWarriorOmega: Thank you, I point you to the comment above :)**

**Hellsink Bathhall: Dante (and other videogame main characters) not knowing about sex is old and reviered joke that I'm sure I will work into a future chapter. As for Raven knowing about them, probably. Of the rwby characters, she tends to be one of the more informed, especially when new pieces enter the game. I agree that it's also likely the brothers may not have noticed, unless she approached one of them in person...**

**The shotgun would have been hella painful, but even the pistols still rattled Cinder, nearly breaking her aura, though if they did go through, aura does increase healing so... *shrug*Trust me, comdey, drama, and angst will all be included, especially the closer to season 3 we grow. As for following the script, this chapter does a lot as well, but after... :). Also, the bull arc for Mr Arc will likely be very changed or maybe even outright ignored. Maybe replaced by something... sons of Sparda related. That glare match would have too much collateral damage to ever happen so it will have to stay as a what if scenario. The toothpicks I'm afraid are probably a dimension away, but who knows what devil arms might show up in the future... The advice of elders who went through similar is seldom taken by those who can't yet see their mistakes.**

**808Joker808: Thank you!**

**Bolis67: Good to be back, it's completely up in the air at the moment, we'll see what develops.**

**Destructorbolt: Thank you, hope the rest of the story will hold up :)**

**Benxall: Here it is :)**

**Kaxipoptos: The cannon event train will be going for now, but there will be detours and derails later :). I admit, i did want all of team Ruby to meet at least one brother before Beacon and used the trailers to do this. they will not be in the Forrest for imitation or tagging along for every mission though, the girls still need to prove themselves. Whatever happens in volume 3, the brothers may end up on their own quest by the end... Weiss isn't ready to take advise yet but might find herself thinking on it later, and events at the beginning felt to me fairly set in stone, but from here will diverge. It's like having a solid base, some events will stay, others will move, who knows :). Salem and Raven's reactions to the tins would be interesting. Perhaps they are both already more aware than we realise.**

**Chaos Drago x2: Killing can be such a pain, possibly being more work than it's worth. Not to mention that compared to hell, this world can feel a bit like a vacation to the son's of Sparda, even with its mysteries. And here's the next chapter.**

**smilingsamurai: Thank you. Trying to keep them in character is a constant struggle I hope to be succeeding at. Others may grow to be able to stand on equal footing in terms of stealing the scene but for now the girls are young, inexperienced. They don't have the same world wisdom that Dante pretends not to have. As for partners, I'm probably gonna keep it the same. Probably. I want to have a similar cannon base to extend the story from, that said, the brothers may tutor students by cherry picking from teams. They are professors after all, they get to choose which students get some extra tips and tricks. Thank's for reading!**

**Illiran: If google translate is right, I understand where you're coming from, but I want the girls to be as much main characters as Dante and Vergil are, they just have different roles. Thank you for reading, and for crossing the language barrier.**

**Guest Jun29th: Shut up Jon.**

**Kegeto: Here is more! :)**

***Breathes out* That was a lot, thanks for all the comments, now let's get in there!**

* * *

Chapter 5: A Journey of a Thousand Miles

With the flash of light, she had to feel more than see the attack coming in from her left. Blocking it, then retaliating with a swift strike, her opponent rolling away.

There was a moment of silence.

The two circled each other.

Suddenly one strike, two, seven, each deftly dodged as her opponent swung again and again. No attacks found their mark, every one intercepted, blocked, or merely missing by a hair's breadth.

A minute into the rapid exchange, an opening! Spearing the enemies leg sent them off balance, perfect for one final bash to finish it all. Breathing heavily, a small smile spread as her opponent failed to get up from where they landed, their own chest heaving in air.

"THERE WE HAVE IT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ONCE AGAIN, THE INVINCIBLE GIRL HAS RETAINED HER TITLE AS TOURNAMENT CHAMPION!"

As quickly as it had arrived, the smile was gone, replaced by the girl's best imitation of it. She wanted to help her fellow finalist up, but as she went to move, had her hand captured by the announcer.

"YOUR CHAMPION, PYRRHA NIKOS!" The crowd erupted, Pyrrha waving politely, if a bit stiffly. "PYRRHA, AS THE ONLY PERSON TO EVER WIN THE MISTRAL REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FOR FOUR YEARS IN A ROW, DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS FOR YOUR ADORING FANS?"

"I-it was a close fight," Pyrrha said to the microphone shoved into her face. "Things could very easily have gone a different way-"

"WHAT A HUMBLE WOMAN, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN," the announcer called out, taking back the mic. "DESPITE THE RUNNER UP NEVER EVEN LANDING A SOLID HIT, OUR INVINCIBLE GIRL STILL TRIES TO GIVE THEM SOME CREDIT. JUST GOES TO SHOW YOU THAT EVEN WITH SKILLS A STEP ABOVE THE REST, MANNERS ARE ABOVE NO ONE! NOW, COMING UP, THE HIGHLIGHTS, BUT FIRST A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS. FIRST OF WHICH BEING THE DELICIOUS PUMPKIN PETE'S WHOS MASCOT YOU MAY RECOGNISE!"

Knowing she'd been effectively dismissed, Pyrrha made her way off the stage. Glancing at the runner up, she saw them slumped, practically running off the opposite side of the stage. Pyrrha tried to keep self-loathing off her face as she walked.

There was no reason the other fighter should be ashamed; it had been a close fight! Not that everyone else saw it that way… Maybe… maybe she should have let some hits through…

The crisp air of the tunnel to the locker rooms enveloped Pyrrha, the girl finally letting herself relax. Her shoulders fell, the seemingly effortless confidence Pyrrha exuded melted away, long strides slowing to a disappointed crawl.

Should she have said something? Would it have been worse to interrupt the announcer, rude even? But it may have saved her opponent's feelings, let them hold their head high like they should have been able to!

"Nice match kid."

"Thank you," Pyrrha replied automatically before startling. "I-I mean-"

Honestly, it was kind of adorable how Pyrrha scrambled to rebuild her public persona. At least, it was either that or funny, if the chuckles from her observer were anything to go by. The man was middle-aged, silver hair, wearing casual clothes, most notable of which was a long red coat.

He also had an obscenely large box of popcorn. So large, Pyrrha wanted to go work off the calories just looking at it.

"It was a good fight," stated Pyrrha, trying to put a smile back on her face, half succeeding.

"Yeah," the man in red smoothly replied, taking another handful of popcorn. "She nearly found a way around your defence at the end there."

"Yes," blinked Pyrrha, stunned someone actually noticed. "It was lucky I managed to end it when I did. Who knows who would have won if the fight dragged on."

Pyrrha probably still would have won.

"You would still have won," the man stated as if reading Pyrrha's thoughts. "You worked off enough of her aura before she started blitzing you at the end there. Too bad she didn't have more experience, you would have had much more of a run for your money."

"Indeed," nodded Pyrrha, internally wishing her opponent was closer to her age until a thought occurred to her. "I'm sorry to ask, but who are you, sir?"

"Dante," he offered a hand which Pyrrha politely shook. "And you are?"

That stopped Pyrrha in her tracks, staring dumbfounded at Dante.

"You… don't know who I am?"

"Couldn't really hear the names in here," shrugged Dante.

"I'm… Pyrrha, Pyrrha Nikos," part of Her was elated to see not a flicker of recognition in Dante's eyes. Another part of her was concerned, how could a man go to a tournament, watch the tournament, sit through all the ad breaks, and not know who the headliner was? Did he hit his head? Also, "why were you here? If you don't mind me asking, Mr Dante."

"Just Dante's fine kid," the man in red corrected, lazily walking down the tunnel, Pyrrha unconsciously matching his stride. "And don't worry, I had tickets. Got gifted them actually, but they were pretty bad, so I watched from here instead. Great view."

"Terrible acoustics though," chuckled Pyrrha.

"Oh, the worst," agreed Dante with a smirk.

"Umm, shouldn't you… leave?" Pyrrha asked before her eyes widened, "not that I want you to! It's just- aren't you sort of… trespassing?"

"Probably."

Concern slowly bloomed into inescapable giggles, the levity Dante exuded overwhelming Pyrrha.

"Well-" The invincible girl tried to gather herself, standing a little taller while smiling a fraction wider. "If you get caught I'll try to distract security while you make a 'daring' escape."

"Thank you kindly," Dante tipped his imaginary hat, sprouting another giggle from Pyrrha's lips. "Hey, mind if I ask you a question?"

Like that, the light-hearted warmth filling Pyrrha froze, a mechanically polite smile replacing her genuine grin. This was how things always were. People always started kindly enough, lulling her in; all they wanted in return was an interview. An inside scoop. A single question.

"Of course," nodded Pyrrha, scolding herself for falling for this again.

"So you just won, right?" Pyrrha waited for Dante to continue, only to realise a long moment of silence later he was waiting for her to reply.

"...Yes?"

"So," continued Dante, momentarily pausing his popcorn consumption. "Why did you look like someone just kicked your puppy?"

"I'm sure it was just part of my post-fight crash," waved off Pyrrha, walking just a little too mechanically. "It was a wonderful tournament. My thanks go out to all the organisers and other competitors for such a splendid event."

Pyrrha expected to see either the excitement of getting an exclusive or disappointment at her standard response. Instead, Dante gave her a look Pyrrha didn't understand, not elaborating as they came to a stop in front of the locker room.

"Well… this is my stop," Pyrrha awkwardly gestured towards the door. "It was good speaking to you, Dante-"

"Kid," he interrupted, and Pyrrha finally noticed he had stopped eating. "I'm not going to pretend like I know whatever you're going through, but you strike me as the kind of girl who won't bother their friends or family with their problems."

That… wasn't a bad thing… right?

"Which means," continued Dante, "they don't know what you're dealing with either."

Pyrrha suddenly found the ground exceedingly interesting.

"Listen," sighed Dante, scratching his stubbled face. "I'm no expert in this kinda thing, but sometimes it's easier to talk to a stranger if you can't talk to your family."

"I couldn't possibly make you stand there and listen to my problems," Pyrrha waved off politely.

"I've got nowhere to be," shrugged Dante. "And don't worry, I'm told I'm a bad listener, so I probably wouldn't remember anything embarrassing you told me. Though, if you don't want to chat, this is your stop. Don't feel pressured, I can just go steal more food from the VIP booth, no harm done. The door's right there."

For a few long moments, Pyrrha opened her mouth to delicately decline Dante's offer… Only to close it seconds later. Looking between the door and Dante, what was keeping her from…

Another attempt, another few seconds, then Pyrrha to close her mouth again. Showing a rare frown, confusion reigned over the champion's features as she tried to figure out what to… What did she want to say?

Looking at Dante, Pyrrha saw him waiting, looking expectantly, oh god she was making him wait!

"It was a good fight!" Blurted out Pyrrha, wincing at how conceited she must have sounded.

"It was," replied Dante, calming Pyrrha's fears. "She nearly got you at the end there," Pyrrha smiled at that before returning to an unnatural looking frown.

"But…" Pyrrha wrung her hands, trying to find the words, almost hoping Dante would interrupt, but he didn't. "They… didn't see it like that."

Biting her lip, there was a pause as Pyrrha waited for condemnation; it wasn't the audience's fault. It wasn't even really the announcers! It was… hers… Biting her lip, Pyrrha looked down, grabbing her arm as her mind searched for a less personal reason to be so upset.

"They made the runner up feel terrible, put down all their hard work to get to the finals!" It was true, something that made Pyrrha feel genuinely bad, especially since it had been a close match!

Dante was still standing there, casually leaning against the wall as Pyrrha looked up to him. The man hadn't said anything yet. Was that a good sign?

"And… and they…" Pyrrha dropped her gaze again. "They put me on a pedestal."

What a selfish complaint. How could Pyrrha bemoan others actions when she was in such a privileged position? What a terrible-

"I get it." Pyrrha startled at that, looking up at Dante disbelievingly before trying to rein in her initial reaction. "You think people will only see your titles, come for them and not the girl you actually are."

"...a bit?" Admitted Pyrrha, "I just… want someone to want to know me."

"Can't say I've had that exact problem," Dante scratched his chin as Pyrrha deflated slightly. "Most of the guys who came for me wanted to off me to be able to say they were the one who finally got me. Or because I was the son of my dad," shrugged Dante. "Honestly? The friends you want, the ones who will stick by you, won't care. They won't give you an inch because you're the legendary whatever or strongest who cares. They'll kick your ass when you need it, stand by you when they can, and keep you from lazing the day away in your own shadow."

"Where…" Started Pyrrha, gripping her arms tighter across her chest, "do you find friends like that?"

"They find you," smiled Dante, Pyrrha giving a hopeful look in return. "Just learn to duck; some of those friends can be mean ladies with damn good aim and a hair-trigger."

Pyrrha couldn't help it, she laughed. It was a light, genuine sound, but it felt like a dam broke. Leaning against the wall, the young champion gradually collected herself, wiping a tear from her eye as she looked back at the strangely calming man before her.

"So," Dante shovelled another handful of popcorn into his mouth. "What's your plan?"

"Sorry?" Replied Pyrrha, tilting her head, "what makes you think I have a plan?"

"You don't look like a girl without a way out," smirked Dante. "I doubt staying here as you are would change anything, so what you gonna do?"

For a moment, Pyrrha bit her lip, before deciding to simply say it. It wasn't like Dante could, or would, stop her, but it was the first time she had spoken it out loud.

"I'm going to Beacon." Pyrrha's eyes were steel as she starred at Dante, standing proudly… until fear flashed through them. "Not that the other Academies aren't grand, it's just-"

"Haven would treat you like a celebrity, Atlas would treat you like a trophy, and you're too wholesome so Shade would take everything you have." Dante ticked off each with a finger, "I get it."

"Thank you," nodded Pyrrha, relaxing for what felt like the first time in weeks against the locker room door.

"You know kid," started Dante, pausing only to throw his popcorn up, the sweat treat landing straight into his mouth. "I could put in a good word for you, Oz owes me a few favours."

"That's very kind," smiled Pyrrha, "but I'd rather get into Beacon on my own merit, rather than reputation or recommendations."

Shrugging, Dante replied-

"THERE HE IS!" The two casual acquaintances turned to see a group of guards sprinting down the tunnel towards them. "INTRUDER! PUT DOWN THE CONFECTIONARY AND GET AWAY FROM MISS NIKOS!"

Pyrrha startled, Pyrrha looking wildly around to see her attacker… only to realise they were talking about Dante.

"Wait-"

"Hold this for me kid," pushing his box of popcorn into the dumbfounded Pyrrha's hands, Dante strolled casually in the opposite direction. "Good luck getting into Beacon, I'll see you in Vale," waved back Dante.

Pyrrha waved back automatically before she realised the arena security was still sprinting at Dante. Wincing; it was too late to call out before… The guard tackled thin air?

Off to the side was a chuckling Dante still sauntering away. Another security officer tried to grab him, only for the man to disappear, reappearing a few feet further down the tunnel. Pyrrha couldn't even see him move! Eyes wide, the young huntress in training watched Dante flash from place to place, keeping teasingly close to his pursuers as they chased him down the entire tunnel.

"Miss Nikos, are you okay?" Asked one of the guards, bringing Pyrrha's attention away from his clumsy colleagues.

"Yes, thank you," nodded the champion, before looking meaningfully at the door behind her.

...The changing room door.

...The competitors' changing room door.

…The FEMALE competitors' door.

"Sorry miss Nikos!" Blushed the security officer, fleeing to (unsuccessfully) help capture Dante.

Excusing herself into the room, Pyrrha couldn't stop the eruption of giggles erupting from her mouth. It all felt so… Pyrrha couldn't explain it. Surreal didn't seem to cover it; it was all finally over! A new beginning. Something that only now seemed real!

And she wasn't wrong for wanting it!

Someone actually understood, didn't judge her, didn't vilify her… This may be a selfish desire, but maybe, just maybe, everyone should be a little selfish sometimes. Dante didn't seem to mind. Pyrrha slid down the door as she tried to control herself, truly relaxing for the first time in what felt like months, maybe even years!

Smiling, Pyrrha idly reached down, popping a piece of popcorn into her mouth… spitting it out a moment later. Carefully, Pyrrha put the sweet present to one side. The champion couldn't help but put no longer having to eat sugary treats and cereal a bit higher on the benefits of ending her career.

Still, even if she didn't like some of his gifts today, Pyrrha hoped she would see the lax hunter again. Maybe once she was a qualified huntress, standing as his college to pay him back for the peace of mind he'd given.

* * *

Breathing deeply, Pyrrha wiped the sweat from her brow, smile stretching her reddened cheeks.

"It's good to see you again, professor."

"Nope, no, professor makes me sound like some old-timer." Despite the denial, the red-clad hunter walking towards her still wore a casual smirk, "just call me Dante."

"Isn't that a bit unprofessional?" Chuckled Pyrrha, falling into step beside her future teacher.

"I'll tell the whole class when the year starts," Dante shrugged. "So, what's a kid like you doing up so early? Shouldn't you be grabbing breakfast or oversleeping for initiation?"

"I couldn't sleep," admitted Pyrrha, wringing her hands together. "Sorry if I was rude at all before. I didn't know you were a prof- teacher here at Beacon."

"Don't worry about it," waved off Dante as they continued their stroll. "I'm just surprised your name is actually Pyrrha."

"What?" Pyrrha blinked, tilting her head at the statement.

"Thought it was a stage name."

"A… stage name?" Covering her mouth, Pyrrha tried and failed to repress a giggle at the older hunter's continued strangeness.

"Yeah," smirked Dante, "I myself went by 'Tony Redgrave' for a while for… family reasons."

"That's a nice name," complemented Pyrrha as she absently tried to clear the hair sticking to her brow. "If you don't mind me asking," Dante just raised an eyebrow, "why are you out in the brisk morning air? You don't seem to be out for a morning jog."

It was good weather for it. Just cool enough, if a bit windy up at Beacon's height, but it was more than enough for Pyrrha to break out some casual sportswear and warm up.

"Oh, Glynda wanted to make sure me and my brother didn't startle you all with another spar," explained Dante. "So she gave us both tasks, far, far away from each other."

"Ah yes," nodded Pyrrha, concern plastered across her features., "I believe I caught the aftermath of your fight yesterday. Is… everything okay between the two of you, from the damage it seemed like a rather extreme fight. You're not…" Pyrrha winced, wondering if she was overstepping, "quarrelling with each other, are you?"

"Not particularly," Dante said in the same relaxed tone, not even hinting at deceit or darker intentions.

Thank goodness. Pyrrha felt a weight lift off her shoulders, striding a little smoother, a smile returning to her face.

"What did Miss Goodwitch have you doing to 'distract you' then," joked Pyrrha, trying to sound casual.

"She set my house of fire."

Pyrrha froze, wide-eyed, staring at Dante who just turned with a smirk. Now that he mentioned it… his red jacket did have some soot sticking to it. By the brothers, Dante was serious!

"Are you sure it was Miss Goodwitch?" Queried Pyrrha, "it might have been an accident."

"I hope it was Glynda," Dante replied, earning another confused look from his younger companion. "Otherwise there's a pyromaniac I'm going to have to hunt down."

* * *

"...What. Do you want?"

"Pardon?" Virgil smirked, earning a distinct twitch from Glynda before she recomposed herself.

"What," Goodwitch ground out, "do I need to give you, to keep you behaved until initiation is over?"

* * *

"It's MORNING! It's morning! IT'S MORNing! It's-"

Urg. Yang supposed she had worse wakeup calls than some ginger girl singing to her boyfriend, mornings still suck though. Clicking her neck, Yang yawned as she ran a hand through her luscious mane, looking to her side to see Ruby already gone.

Probably already downing unholy amounts of sugar, or possibly breaking into one of Beacon's weapon labs. Ooo! Maybe she was making more friends… Yeah, probably not.

Dragging herself to the shower, Yang sent a flirty smile to some of her blushing future classmates as she stripped on her way into the stall. Scalding water soothed Yang's muscular body, loosening her while catapulting her into wakefulness.

Yang restrained herself to just a hum as she ran her hands through her hair, carefully cleaning her waist-length curls. Already there was the buzz again. Just below her skin, at the back of her head, the anticipation.

Shutting off the shower, Yang leant against the wall, breathing deeply, slowly calming herself. Aura flaring, steam rose from her body, evaporating because Yang was just that hot.

...Get it? Great pun, Yang! Thank you, Yang.

Dressed, brushed, and ready, the huntress in training strolled out with nonchalance disguising her growing excitement.

Catching a flash of red, Yang was about to call out for her sister, only just stopping herself. That wasn't Ruby, it was Dante and… is that Pyrrha Nikos? A tourney champ in her year? Nice.

Yang left the two to whatever they were chatting about, going on an epic journey to a vastly more vital objective. Specifically, the cafeteria for food.

"Rought whrt wshh I thrnking? Brt Stllm RI hrpe we rnd up on the shme team together!" Yang's ears twitched, turning to see the loud girl who woke up this morning with her boyfriend, inhaling the pancake that had been muffling her. "Oohhh! We should come up with some sort of plan; to make sure we end up on the same team together! What if we bribe the headmaster? No, that won't work. He has a school."

"Pretty sure old Oz is the incorruptible type anyway," chimed in Yang, sliding in across from the young couple. "My uncle used to try to bribe him to get out of class, the guy never budged."

"That's why we should do it!" The orange-haired girl slammed her hands on the table with a manic grin. "If everyone knows you can't bribe him then he'll never see it coming!"

"... That's so crazy it just might work," chuckled the blonde brawler, reaching a hand across the table. "I'm Yang."

"Ren," the quiet, green-clad boy replied, gently shaking Yang's hand before gesturing to ginger pinching his pancakes. "And this is-"

"NORA!" Interrupted the orange-haired girl, wearing a mix of white and pink, devouring stolen pancakes whole.

Digging into her plate of protean, Yang gave a natural smile to the cute couple, "You two fired up for initiation?"

"YEAH!" Nora slammed on the table, plates bouncing from the impact, "I'M READY TO BREAK SOME LEGS!"

"...It should be a rewarding experience," replied Ren, once he placated Nora with the rest of his syrup covered breakfast.

"I hear it changes every year," supplied Yang, "but there's apparently a running theme."

"A theme?" Asked Ren as Nora inhaled sugary goodness.

"Yeah, but no one's spilling what it is! My family, the upperclassmen, all of them just say 'you have to experience it yourself'. Like it's some kind of big secret!"

"Whatever it is," Ren's face changed slightly from calm to resolute, "we will rise to meet it."

"Amen to that," smirked Yang, finishing off her plate. "So, how'd you two meet?"

"Oh me and Ren have been together forever!" Nora practically shouted with a smile, "And we're gonna be partners too, so find your own Ren!"

"He's all yours," Yang held up her hands in a sign of surrender, "I'm not one to ruin a good thing. Must be nice though, to be partners with your… well, partner."

Nora blinked. Then another blink. Then-

"Oh, we're not together-together."

Yang just raised her eyebrow, looking between the two of them. A good five minutes of denial later, and a strange segway about cooking Grimm, the three made their way to the locker rooms. Several people were already in here, retrieving their weapons, checking ammo, including Ruby. Coincidently, Yang's locker wasn't far from theirs, close enough to still hear Nora's ramblings as she joined her sister in getting ready.

"I KNOW!" Announced Nora after a minute of being as close as she got to silence. "We'll have some sort of signal! Like a distress signal!" The girl gasped, "a secret signal so we can find each other in the forest! Can you imitate a sloth?"

"Nora?" Spoke Ren, for the first time since the cafeteria, despite being in a 'conversation' with Nora since the cafeteria.

"Yes, Ren?"

"I don't think sloths make a lot of noise," the quiet boy stated, sheathing his weapons, a pair of green pistol knives, in his sleeves.

"... That's why it's PERFECT!" Nora ecstatically shouted, "no one will suspect we're working together!"

"Come on, Nora," Ren rolled his eyes with a smile, shutting his locker. "Let's go."

"But not, together-together," giggled Nora, skipping behind Ren, passing where Yang and Ruby were getting ready.

"Wonder what those two are so worked up about?" Ruby commented after they passed, catching her sister's attention.

"Oh, who knows?" replied Yang. 'Good luck Nora! ...and good luck Ren dealing with Nora.' Anyway, "so, you seem awfully chipper this morning!"

"Yep!" Smiled Ruby, retrieving her precious weapon from the cold, cold locker. "No more awkward small talk or 'getting-to-know-you' stuff; today, I get to let my sweetheart do the talking."

Damn, guess Ruby was still firmly opting out of all socialising, Yang grimacing a bit as her sister stroked Crescent Rose like a puppy.

"Well, remember Ruby," Yang tried to sound as neutral as possible, reasonable even. "You're not the only one going through initiation. If you wanna grow up, you're going to have to meet new people and learn to work together."

"Urrrhhhg! You sound like Dad!" Groaned Ruby, putting her weapon down before turning to her sister. "Okay, first of all: what does meeting people have to do with fighting? And secondly: I don't need people to help me grow up! I. Drink. Milk!"

Crossing her arms with the announcement, Ruby clearly thought she'd won; seeing no problem with her view. Yang needed for the young redette to want to change. To reach the conclusion herself for some healthy growth, and for once, logic was actually on Yang's side of the argument.

"But what about when we form teams?" Asked Yang, knowing this would push Ruby towards a happier, healthier life.

"Um, I don't know, I…" Ruby nervously turned, looking away from her sister, crossing her arms, about to understa- "I'll just be on your team or something…"

Or she would just cling to Yang like a safety blanket.

"Maybe you should try being on someone else's team?" The question wasn't spoken with much determination, but Yang stood confidently, oozing… Wait no, Yang, stop stroking your hair, make eye contact. MAKE EYE CONTACT!

"My dear sister Yang." Ruby's voice grew with suspicion with each word as she abandoned the track to being a more social rounded person, pointing accusatorially at the blonde. "Are you implying that you do not wish to be on the same team as me?"

"What!? No! Of course I do," Yang looked away, fidgeting on the spot. "I just thought… I don't know, maybe it would help you… break out of your shell!"

"What the-! I don't need to 'break out of my shell'! That's absolutely-"

* * *

"Ridiculous!" Whined a blonde boy, desperately looking at each locker like they weren't exactly the same. "There's no way I put my gear in locker six-three-six yesterday! I would've remembered having to count that high! Why does this have to happen today?"

Pyrrha gave the boy a sympathetic glance; poor guy must be suffering from a bad case of nerves. Honestly, it still got to Pyrrha, just a bit. The important thing was, when the cards were down, focus would come. If it was important. It always did.

"So, Pyrrha," the refined voice of Weiss Schnee cut through her musings, Pyrrha quickly donning a polite smile in response. "Have you given any thought to whose team you'd like to be on? I'm sure everyone must be eager to unite with such a strong, well-known individual, such as yourself."

"Hmm…" Pyrrha glanced away, barely holding back a wince, "I'm not quite sure. I was planning on letting the chips fall where they may."

Preferably not with Weiss. Dust, even thinking that made Pyrrha feel a little bad, but… well… Was it so wrong to want a partner she actually had to introduce herself to?

"Well…" continued the heiress, "I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together."

"Well, that sounds," terrible, "grand!"

"Great!"

As the white-clad girl slipped into scheming, probably thinking that together with Minstrel's champion they'd be the best, supreme, unstoppable, etc. The heiress must be lost thinking about how nothing could come between them and their goals now...

All Pyrrha could think of was how much she really hoped that didn't happen. Why couldn't she get a partner who didn't care about whether she was the best? Someone who-

"You know what else is great?" The cute lost blonde boy from earlier moved between the girls, his back to Pyrrha, sending a smile to Weiss. "Me. Jaune Arc. nice to meet you."

"You again?"

"Nice to meet you, Jaune!" Pyrrha quickly interjected, moving in front of the blonde only for him to focus back in on Weiss.

"Yeah, yeah, So, Weiss, couldn't help but overhear your fondness of me the other day."

"Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me!" Snarked Weiss, head in her hands as Jaune flexed, rather unimpressively.

"Don't worry!" 'He certainly didn't', Pyrrha internally giggled as Jaune continued his pitch. "No need to be embarrassed! So, been hearing rumours about teeeeams," he sang. "I was thinking you and me would make a good one! What do you say?"

Wow, he was so confident! "Actually," interjected Pyrrha, recapturing Jaune's awareness. Dust, how long had it been since she had to compete for attention of all things? "I think the teams are comprised of four students each, so-"

"You don't say. Well, hot stuff," hot stuff! Her! "Play your cards right and maybe you could join up with the winning team."

Heat flushed Pyrrha's cheeks, not even abating when Weiss got between her and the boy, pushing Jaune away.

"Jaune, is it?" Asked Weiss, feigned courtesy painfully obvious to Pyrrha's ears but what she said next had Pyrrha's blood run a little colder. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"

'Please don't', thought Pyrrha, smile dropping from her face.

"Not in the slightest Snow Angel," Jaune replied and… Really? Maybe he was just a bit slow putting a face to a name.

"This," announced Weiss, "is Pyrrha."

"Hello again!" Waved Pyrrha, putting as much civility into her voice as she could.

"Pyrrha graduated top of her class at Sanctum!" Weiss stated, gesturing over her shoulder to the red-haired girl.

"Never heard of it."

...Wait, what?

"She's won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row!" Continued Weiss with a scoff. "A new record!"

"The what?"

Pyrrha couldn't help it now, staring at the baffling blonde boy. Was she just not as well known in Vale? Dante didn't really know her either… Dust, that would be grand!

Meanwhile, Weiss stewed for a second before flailing her arms in a sudden burst of frustration. "She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!"

"HHHUUUUUU!" Jaune suddenly gasped, "That was you! But they only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters!"

"Yeah, it was pretty cool," blushed Pyrrha, a genuine smile painting her face. Who knew she'd be recognised not as the invincible girl, but as a food mascot! Although, "sadly, the cereal isn't very good for you," Pyrrha informed them, mind reliving the terribly sugary taste.

Unfortunately, the contract meant Pyrrha had to consume some of their 'food' for the adverts. Thank goodness she'd had the foresight to turn down the swimsuit sponsorship she was offered... And the underwear modelling offer...

"So," Weiss picked up the conversation, voice dripping with condescension. "After hearing all of this, do you really think you're in a position to ask her to be on your team?"

"...I guess not…" replied Jaune, hanging his head, "sorry."

"Actually, Jaune," Pyrrha rushed forward, putting a hand on her fellow teen's shoulder. "I think you'd make a great leader!" Pulling her hand back with a smile, Pyrrha could only hope this restored some-

"D'oh, stop it!" Jaune immediately brightened, preening under the praise.

"Seriously," interjected Weiss, "please stop it. This kind of behaviour should not be encouraged!"

"Sounds like Pyrrha's onboard for team Jaune," the blonde continued, shooting a smile back at Pyrrha, which the girl readily returned before he returned his attention to Weiss. "Spots are filling up quick! Now, I'm not supposed to do this, but maybe I could pull some strings, find a place for you. What do you say?"

Weiss backed away as Jaune leaned closer, "all right, that's a bit too close!" Looking around the blonde, Weiss gave a pleading look to her fellow woman. "Pyrrha, a little help, please?!"

Jaune flew across the room, Milo (Pyrrha's weapon in spear form) impaling his hoodie before Pyrrha even realised she moved.

"I'm sorry!" Waved Pyrrha, hopefully, he wouldn't hold that against her.

Crackling stopped any further conversation, all prospective huntresses turning their eyes to the intercom as it came to life.

"Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation," Announced the stern voice of Glynda Goodwitch. "Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."

Without hesitation, Weiss strode past Jaune, Pyrrha moving to follow, but pausing to retrieve Milo.

"It was nice meeting you," beamed Pyrrha, striding quickly away as Jaune slid to the ground.

While ahead of her Weiss didn't look back, Pyrrha… did. Two girls stopped to help Jaune up, and Pyrrha felt an unfamiliar... something, settle in her gut. The reddette of the pair helped Jaune up and away, but the blonde continued towards the champion.

"Hey, Pyrrha right?" the blonde asked, holding out her hand. Pyrrha tensed, plastering a pleasant smile on her face as she shook the offered hand while confirming her identity. "I'm Yang."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," replied Pyrrha, somewhat stiffly.

"Same," the blonde dropped into step beside Pyrrha, hands casually behind her head. "Still can't believe we've got a tourney champ in our year."

"I'm sure our other classmates are more than my measure," replied Pyrrha with a fixed.

"No doubt," Yang smirked back, startling the redheaded champion.

Was anyone in Vale not a little… strange? Part of Pyrrha sincerely hoped not.

* * *

"You agree then?"

"Certainly," drolled Vergil, raising an eyebrow at his companion. "Am I so untrustworthy?"

"No," replied Glynda without hesitation, but she did pause before her next words. "It's just… a peculiar price for your cooperation."

"You underestimate yourself."

How was she meant to take that? Glynda was unsure whether that was one of the highest compliments Vergil was capable of giving or another aggravating bait. The safe bet was to fall back on a slight frown, adjusting her glasses as she levelled a look at her vexing colleague.

"And you'll keep Dante in line?" Asked Glynda.

"As agreed."

* * *

Walking up the cliff, Ruby averted her eyes as Professor Goodwitch glared, trying and failing to seem unaffected. It wasn't like she was the last one to arrive… Technically Jaune was! He was… one step behind her… So not last!

In fairness, there was no way Ruby could leave her new friend after his 'confidence' tactic on Weiss failed. Completely failed. Spectacularly failed some (probably most) would say. 'Snow Angel', seriously? Ruby didn't really know what Jaune was going for, but even SHE knew that that was the wrong move.

Move to where? No idea. But Snow Angel was definitely the wrong place to start.

So while Yang sauntered off, someone had to help Jaune to his feet, physically and emotionally.

...Especially emotionally.

Grimm and damaged self-esteem do not mix. It's like Dad always said, 'Think more like Yang on a good day and less like uncle Qrow on any day'. Wise words from a wiser dad.

Pushing down her burgeoning homesickness, Ruby tried to embrace her excitement for the FIRST STEP OF BECOMING A HUNTRESS, standing on her assigned plate… All while still squirming under Goodwitch's glare.

Jaune took up position next to her, last in the standing on these strange metal plate things. At least Ruby could hide behind Jaune, he was tall, kinda. Oh, wait, headmaster Ozpin and deputy headmistress Goodwitch were standing… directly in front of them.

Well, maybe Ruby could hide from the other two professors watching them, and didn't want to make the wrong impression on- DANTE! Sitting on a deck chair? With piles of pizza boxes next to him? Waving?

Cool.

But there was also... Dante's brother? Did Ruby know his name? She could have sworn it began with a V… Victor? Veronica? No. Oh dust, was her professor going to hate her for forgetting his name!? There was so much happening last night: with the books; the fighting, the screaming, and a surprisingly small amount of sleep.

V-man stood looking out from the cliffs, a cup of tea in one hand, but what drew Ruby's eyes was at his waste. Now THAT'S a katana. WHAT DOES IT DO! DOES IT-

"For years," started Ozpin, derailing Ruby's runaway train of thought and gaining everyone's attention in just two words. "You have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

"Now," Glynda Goddwitch picked up, tablet as she addressed the new students. "I'm sure many of you have heard rumours about the assignments of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion." Neat, now Ruby would know how long she had to plan, meet people, engage in...small talk. "Each of you will be given teammates… today."

"What? Ohhh…" whimpered Ruby, but, did it really matter? She could just partner up with Yang!

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon," continued Ozpin, surveying the students, coffee mug in hand. "So, it is important to be paired with someone with whom you can work well."

Groaning, Ruby knew it had to be Yang now, there was no way she could get to know someone else before the initiation started!

"That being said," spoke Ozpin, a knell of finality earning everyone's devoted attention. "The first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

…

"WHAAAAT?!" Ruby mewled, world cracking like glass around her. That was CRAZY! What kind of sadistic (thank you for the vocabulary uncle Qrow) person came up with… with… THAT!

"After you've partnered up," Ozpin said, silencing some students saying 'I told you so' with a glance. "Make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way, Don not hesitate to destroy everything in your path… or you will die."

Neat, Grimm, obstacles, but what was that about partners again? How could Ruby make sure Yang was the first person she saw? Could they have some kind of signal? Could Yang imitate Zwei? WHY DIDN'T THEY WORK THIS OUT BEFORE!

"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene." The first statement accompanied a gesture towards Miss Goodwitch, the second a curious glance towards Dante and his brother. Receiving a thumbs up and a nod, Ozpin continued. "You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately."

Just as Ozpin seemed like he was wrapping up, the headmaster paused.

"Since you've chosen to sit in this year, any passing advice or remarks?" Asked Ozpin, aiming the question at the two twin huntsmen.

"Do not disappoint me," V-man stated, not taking his eyes off the horizon.

"Try not to die, kids," pushed in Dante, "and have fun."

"Well then, if there aren't any questions?"

"Yeah," Jaune meekly rose his hand, "um, sir?"

"Good," interrupted the headmaster with a gleeful glint in his eyes. "Now, take your positions."

Oh, these were launch pads! That explains why the invitation to Beacon asked to make sure to have a landing strategy ready. Dropping to a crouch, Ruby hovered one hand on Crescent Rose in its compact form across the small of her back. The telltale sound of Ember Celica, her sister's shotgun gauntlets, was strangely calming.

Almost calming enough to rid the thoughts of partners from Ruby's mind. Almost… But worry still lingered on the young girl's face.

"Uh, sir?" Jaune meekly raised his hand, "I've got a question. So, this landing… strategy thing… Uh, wha-what is it?" Couldn't he tell from Weiss being launched into the air, how could he miss that! "You're, like, dropping us off or something?"

Oh, poor, sweet, innocent Jaune.

"No." Replied Ozpin, not batting an eye at his rapidly airborne students, "you will be falling."

"Oh, uh, I see," for some reason, Ruby didn't think he did see the students to his left being launched into the air. "...So, like, did you hand out parachutes for us?"

Pfff, who uses parachutes? Bwha!

"No. You will be using your own landing strategy."

"Uh-huh...Yeah…" Mumbled Jaune, looking strangely confused as he apparently missed that loud couple from earlier being launched.

To her left, Yang gave her sister a wink, putting on a pair of aviator sunglasses, flying off with a woo! A smirk decorated Ruby's own face. Finally, for this moment at least, everything was forgotten as she took the first step, catapulted into the air above a Grimm infested forest.

There was a heartbeat in Ruby's ears. Electric excitement filled the young girl's veins, not even Jaune's screaming through the air could dampen it as the wind whipped at her hair. Students were drifting apart as they flew, some starting their landing strategies, either slowing down or some, like Yang, launching themselves further.

Then the feather's hit.

Off to her right, a student cried out in pain, a feather as hard as bone slamming into his thigh. That was only the first though, a colossal obsidian horror parted the clouds with its wings, flanked by its flock.

The beasts created overlapping fields of feathers, catching more and more students with vicious shots. Some were glancing, others direct hits, aura sparking from the sheer force of the blows. Students were stuck between trying to land and trying to dodge. A fair few children simply fell out of the sky.

Initiation had begun.

...And the Grimm were ready.

* * *

***Cracks knuckles***

**Time to start changing things :)**


End file.
